


lee jihoon: swimming fool

by sleepyscoops



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Drowning, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Hollywood, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Incredible Slow Burn, Las Vegas Wedding, Leader line, Light Angst, Los Angeles, M/M, Music, SLOW! BURN!, Slow Burn, Soul-Searching, Surfing, Swimming Pools, and did I say SLOW BURNNNN, jihoon can't swim, more like ji angsting over his life?, movies - Freeform, side soonwoo in later chapters, soonhoon are adorable bffs, surfer!cheol, try finding the rest of seventeen, vlogger!soon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-01-10 03:42:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 131,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12290466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyscoops/pseuds/sleepyscoops
Summary: swimming fool: a person who can't swimFormer musical prodigy Jihoon is going through a quarter-life crisis, and thanks to his eccentric best friend Soonyoung, he joins a surfing class. Problem is, he doesn’t know how to swim.or that one AU where Seungcheol is a hot surfer dude because why not.





	1. quarter-life crisis

Lee Jihoon is the average white-collared worker: addicted to coffee, working from nine to five at a job that pays just enough to survive in the big city, and said job doesn’t even interest him one bit – he’s only doing it because he’s getting paid for it, and that he’d spent half of his parents’ savings for college fees for a degree in accountancy that he doesn’t really want in the first place.

All he does is work: crunching numbers all day, grumble about his demanding boss, then go home to his dinky overpriced apartment that he can barely afford, and maybe have a drink with Mingyu from Human Resources after work if he doesn’t feel murderous. Rinse and repeat for the weekdays, and he sleeps his weekends off if he doesn’t have boring chores to do. Simply ordinary, and mundane enough to drive one crazy. 

So it’s fitting that he has a quarter-life crisis one day – his epiphany comes to him in the middle of auditing company X’s numbers for the third quarter of the year – he’s had enough; he’s putting his foot down; he needs a long, refreshing break to think about what the hell he’s been doing all of these years. Without a word, he stands up, dramatically slamming his hands against his desk (like how people in movies always do) but everyone else around him goes about their business of gossiping over tea and biscuits, or watching cat videos on YouTube. Jihoon looks around, suffocated by the office that he’s been inhabiting for the past few years since he graduated with first class honours from university. No one speaks to him unless it’s work-related, or if someone wants to borrow a stapler, so Jihoon figures that no one would notice if he left.

That’s exactly what he does: he grabs his belongings and headed towards the exit, in the middle of the workday in the middle of the week; and like he predicted, no one cares.

He calls up his (only) friend Soonyoung, who’s living the life as a blogpacker (blogger-backpacker if you’re untrendy), traipsing around the earth and clashing with diverse cultures. The life that Jihoon secretly yearned for: so carefree, with less worries about the world, rather than worrying about company stocks and its impact on the national economy or bills and taxes. Jihoon especially hates the latter, and he thinks that there should be a special hell for it. 

Jihoon and Soonyoung have been friends since the crib; they’re almost like twins (some kid in middle school even had the audacity to say that they look strikingly similar). Besides, they’re also polar opposites, so they complement each other so well that they almost function as one human being. When Soonyoung left Korea to travel the world using his trust fund money, Jihoon missed Soonyoung’s energetic presence, but oh well, life goes on, your best friend leaves to see the world, so Jihoon drowned himself in his work like an accounting automaton – no wonder his life has been so boring. He won’t say it out loud, but he quite misses Soonyoung. That idiot hasn’t returned since he left a year and a half ago, and his blog’s booming on the internet - of which, Jihoon’s an avid reader of - and he seems to be the answer to Jihoon’s current problem; since he's a walking chatterbox: maybe a phone call with his best friend can distract Jihoon from his current problem.

“Where are you now?” Jihoon asks once Soonyoung picks up, even though he knows perfectly well that his best friend is somewhere in America – Seattle to be exact. He knows this, because he’s seen Soonyoung’s travel photos on social media; and it makes him even more depressed that he’s not living his youth freely like his best friend is.

“Seattle.” Soonyoung replies precisely, repressing a yawn. “Do you know what time it is over here?”

“No, I don’t.” Jihoon snaps. “And by that, I mean that I don’t care.”

Soonyoung sighs, used to the cold treatment by his best friend. “No wonder you’re the life of the party, Hoonie.”

Jihoon has no time to be roasted by Soonyoung, so he goes straight to the point. “I cracked.”

Silence on Soonyoung’s side. Just by those two words, Soonyoung already knows his best friend's inner turmoil. It must be a real emergency, for Jihoon to call him and tell the truth without any hesitation, since he’d always bottle his emotions up.  “You need a break.”

“I know.”

“Go home.” Soonyoung suggests. “By that I mean home home. Back to the roots.”

“No.” Jihoon can’t bear to meet his parents; they’d interrogate him about his entire life: his job, his non-existent love life, and everything else that parents worry about, and he doesn’t have the strength to handle that now. Plus, he’d have to get a bus ticket down to Busan and the whole travelling process is a hassle and…

“Fine. Come and join me then. I’ll be in LA next week. We’ll have fun, see a few places, talk to the locals…” Soonyoung’s already excited at the prospect of his grumpy and stuffy best friend joining him on his adventures.

Jihoon’s heart skips a beat – it’s all he’d dreamed of recently, so see the world with his own eyes, but back to the point, it’s like Busan again, but on a much more advanced level. He’s already anxiously thinking about the travel expenses, and the fact that he never travels for leisure. He needs to apply for leave from the company; check his savings and flight tickets, oh no, how much it cost to fly from Incheon to LAX? And there’s the visa thing, he wonders where his passport is (unused, he’d only made one after finishing high school when Soonyoung had come up with the outrageous idea to go and watch Nu’est’s concert in Japan, but their plans fizzled out when Jihoon enrolled into university).

Besides, he never talks to strangers to just to get to know them; the way Soonyoung does ‘to get to know the local attractions’. His anxiety levels jack up, his thoughts crashing into each other in his tired brain that he’s starting to have a headache in the middle of the street. Someone honks at him, and Jihoon curses at the driver, mentally telling that idiot to just run him over with his stupid car.

“Stop thinking too much, Hoonie. Trust me, you’ll have fun here. I’ll be here, no worries.” Soonyoung reassures, knowing over the momentary beat of silence about what Jihoon is thinking about.

“Thanks, Soonie.” Jihoon looks at his reflection in a shop window – he looks dishevelled, his white shirt wrinkled, with an ambiguous coffee stain on the front that would never come off no matter how hard he scrubbed it (thanks to clumsy Mingyu from Human Resources); his black hair in dire need of a trim, his bangs covering his eyes that he looks like an emo kid from 2006. Looking at his pitiful state, Jihoon sighs again. What has his life come to? 

“I’ll text you later, let me get my beauty sleep.” Soonyoung yawns. “Go get some sleep yourself, Hoonie. You know you need it.” Jihoon sleeps like a koala when he has the time – he’s almost impossible to wake up when you let him sleep for too long. Jihoon doesn’t remember the last time he’s had a peaceful sleep. Ever since university, he’s only been getting about five hours of sleep every night. No wonder he’s much smaller than Mingyu from Human Resources, who’s a year younger than he is and practically towers over everyone.

“You know me well, Soonie.” Jihoon feels so touched that he has one person who truly knows him.

“Go home, your brain’s not functioning well.” Soonyoung says. Jihoon’s not the one who says all the touchy-feely stuff – that’s his role. Jihoon’s supposed to cringe at his cheesy lines, not the other way around, and from there, Soonyoung already knows that Jihoon’s a mess. He’s going to fix this, make sure that Jihoon’s not too uptight, and maybe talk him out of that job he hates so much. Soonyoung doesn’t understand why Jihoon has to bring all of this misery upon himself, when he could just do things that make him happy? Even though he’s tired and halfway across the world, Soonyoung’s already plotting on how to pull Jihoon out of his funk; but he suddenly falls asleep on the line, lightly snoring, so Jihoon rolls his eyes and hangs up.

Without realizing it, Jihoon arrives at his apartment building; a derelict, almost run-down structure owned by the worst landlord in Seoul; since he’s practically asking for rent that equals those trendy studio apartments in the upper-class neighbourhoods in the city. Jihoon lives on the top floor, with a shoebox for something that barely resembles home. He climbs up five flights of stairs, which smell ominously like pee, avoiding the dripping pipes. He shoves his key into his door, listening to the couple on the fourth floor bicker about dog food.

Home sweet home – a creaky bed in the corner, a small kitchenette with that morning’s cereal bowl still sitting in the sink, and an adjacent bathroom with a shower and a toilet that barely works. His clunky laptop is on its permanent spot at his desk by the window, which offers a glorious view of the brick walls of the neighbouring building. Jihoon slumps onto the small couch opposite the second-hand television (that only has three channels), unpacking his precious leather-bound composition notebook he’d kept all the way from high school from his bag, carefully setting it next to him. He’d occasionally flip through its contents just to invoke some memories, but today he’s too tired to walk down memory lane. Knowing that the notebook is near him somewhat calms him down, since it’s most prized possession.

He tries to relax for the rest of the day, but his mind betrays him; running over all possible permutations of him escaping work. Eventually he falls into a fitful sleep on the couch, still in his work clothes; with a final thought in his brain: _I’m such a mess._


	2. welcome to the city of angels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soonyoung and Jihoon explore Los Angeles.

A week later, Jihoon finds himself in the land of palm trees and blue skies. He drags his (newly bought) luggage behind him, sighing in relief after the intensely long flight, and the equally intense long line that stretched at immigration. For once, his English comes in handy, though it still feels foreign on his tongue. He’d made an impression on the immigration officer that he wasn’t a spy from the North, so he’d safely entered America, land of super-sized everything.

Soonyoung had promised to meet Jihoon at the airport, but LAX is huge, so Jihoon doesn’t know where to go. He mills around the Starbucks in the arrivals hall with his shiny new luggage (he thought went missing when it took forever to appear on the carousel), staring longingly at the overpriced coffee that he doesn’t have to money to buy. He’s only got a few dollars in his wallet; now he’s starting to think that this whole trip is just a waste of money; he should be working so that he can make more and live a comfortable life; or maybe he could be sleeping at home – sleep is always good.

“Hoonie? Is that you?” A familiar voice pops out from behind him. Soonyoung sounds wary for the first time in his life, but he lights up immediately once he sees his best friend’s face, and pulls him into a hug, Jihoon squirming in his embrace. “It’s been so long, Hoonie! You look so different!”

“Idiot. You’re not the only one who can dye your hair, y’know.” Jihoon says, rolling his eyes.

“Well, I’m glad to see you too!” Soonyoung pulls the newly blond Jihoon into another tight hug. All his life, Jihoon always had his natural black hair; but now he’s a changed man with his differently coloured hair – an impulse dye job, where he’d marched down to his usual hairdresser, demanding for change. His hairdresser had always only trimmed Jihoon’s hair, but given the chance to experiment with Jihoon’s hair, she’d picked up a box of dye and set to work, resulting in a shockingly suitable hair colour for the stuffy office man; not forgetting to give him a trendy hairstyle that could rival all those brooding idols on magazine covers. Now Jihoon looks like he’s a fun guy, but he’s still a grumpy old grandfather stuck in a twentysomething’s body with a baby face.

Ironically, Soonyoung, who’s always had his hair coloured with outrageous hues: green, blond, ash grey, blue; you name it – has black hair this time around, so again, their roles are somewhat reversed.

“Welcome to the other side of the world! This is Los Angeles!” Out of nowhere, Soonyoung whips out a camcorder from his bulky bag and starts to film himself and Jihoon.

“Are you…filming?” Jihoon feels conscious – he looks like his cat died (if he had one) on the tiny camera screen. Plus he hates being in the spotlight, that’s more of shameless Soonyoung. 

“Yeah! Say hi to the camera, Hoonie!” Soonyoung grins.

Jihoon does a feeble wave, and plasters on a fake smile, the same one he does when Mingyu from Human Resources invites him out for karaoke.

“Everyone, this is my best friend Jihoon, who’s just flown all the way from Seoul to meet me!” Soonyoung sounds too perky. “Join us in Soonie and Hoonie’s LA adventure, starting…now!”

Soonyoung puts the camera down after that last line, and Jihoon’s fake smile vanishes from his face. “Soonie and Hoonie’s LA adventure?” Jihoon narrows his eyes.

“It’s cute!” Soonyoung says, stuffing the camcorder into his oversized backpack. “I thought that it’s going to be a cool concept, y’know, best friends travelling together, having fun? Plus, this is my first time vlogging, I think it’d be better if I filmed everything so that I won’t miss anything!” Soonyoung usually writes about his adventures on his colourful website, his sentences mostly in caps to hype things up, and he overuses emojis.

“Right.” Jihoon swallows, with a weird feeling that this trip isn’t going to be normal. With Soonyoung, nothing’s ever normal anyway – and Jihoon’s uncomfortable with _not normal_ that he wants to run back to Seoul and return to his normal life, because that’s all he knows.

“Don’t worry, Hoonie! I’ll take care of everything.” Soonyoung ruffles Jihoon’s head, messing up his hair. “We’ll get to our hotel now. Let’s go!” Soonyoung grabs Jihoon’s luggage and drags it behind him, leaving a flustered Jihoon to follow him.

The two of them weave around the crowd of travellers leaving the airport, but instead of taking public transport into the city like Jihoon expected, Soonyoung leads them both to the carpark. There can only be two possibilities: either Soonyoung’s taking a really long detour to the taxi stand, or he’s going to drive; and the former choice seems less likely as they stop in front of a shiny blue Audi, parked crookedly in the furthest spot from the entrance.

“You’re driving.” Jihoon says disbelievingly. When Soonyoung had gotten his driver’s licence, he’d dragged Jihoon along for a drive, which lasted only a few seconds as Soonyoung had promptly reversed into a pole. His heart immediately drops when Soonyoung fishes the car keys from the black hole he calls his backpack, and unlocks the car with a beep.

“I’ve gotten better, okay? I have an international licence now!” Soonyoung heaves Jihoon’s luggage into the small trunk.

Jihoon doesn’t say anything, anxiously watching his best friend try to squeeze his own backpack into the boot; it takes a few attempts for Soonyoung to jam the trunk shut. Soonyoung having an international licence means that he’s been wreaking havoc all over the world with a rented automobile since the past year and a half – but maybe he’s gotten better, Jihoon thinks; plus, who is he to judge, as he doesn’t have his own driving licence yet.

“Equipped with a dashboard camera to record our adventures on the road!” Soonyoung opens the door on the driver’s side with a flourish. “Hop in, Hoonie!”

Jihoon doesn’t have any other choice, so he complies. “You’d better drive properly.” He says, trying to repress a yawn. Fatigue has caught up with him, and his body feels so, so tired. He wants to look at the surroundings as they enter the City of Angels, but he can barely keep his eyes open, falling in and out of sleep. Soonyoung, ever the chatterbox, talks so much that they don’t need the radio – it’s like he’s hosting his own radio show as he drives, but Jihoon’s barely listening, and falls asleep, much to Soonyoung’s oblivion.

By the time they reach their destination, Jihoon is disoriented, wondering why the hell the sky is too blue like a painting on a canvas. His mind is hazy when Soonyoung checks them in (filming at the same time, but Jihoon is too tired to notice) and once they enter their shared room, Jihoon practically dies on the bed, engulfed in sweet, sweet sleep.

When Jihoon finally wakes up, it’s midnight in la la land. The first thing he notices is that there are too many pillows around him, compared to the lonely threadbare cardboard that he rests his head onto every night. Second, someone’s snoring, though not too loud, and it still annoys Jihoon, thinking that the guy from the fourth floor who has sleep apnea is choking on his own breath. It takes a while for him to register that he’s halfway across the world, sharing a room with his best friend since forever (thankfully not a bed, because that guy thrashes in his sleep); away from his normal life.

Jihoon’s heart starts beating faster: he’s actually doing it, forget that he has no idea exactly where he is or what time it is – he’s living the life he’s been dreaming of, away from accounting sheets and sticky cereal bowls and Mingyu from Human Resources. 

Except that right now he’s stuck in a room with a sleeping Soonyoung (who suddenly rolls over) because it’s too late to do anything, and the city is probably asleep.

Jihoon has no expectations for this trip, he’d really gone for it without thinking it through. He wouldn’t have done it on his own; having Soonyoung around calms him down (even though Soonyoung is the opposite of calm). Jihoon pads over to the windows, peeking outside in between the curtains, to be welcomed by the twinkling skyline of Los Angeles, with the famous Hollywood sign in the distance.

“Wow.” He whispers. He doesn’t have to pinch himself because he’s seeing it with his very own eyes.

Since that there’s nothing else that he can do, Jihoon climbs back into his own (double!) bed and tries to go back to sleep…only to stay awake until the wee hours of the morning, thanks to his betraying body clock. He wakes up to Soonyoung’s dulcet tones, singing in the shower; and a hungry stomach. The sun peeks in from between the curtains, hinting good weather for the day to come. Not knowing what else to do, Jihoon sits up in bed, yawning, and switches the television on. A giggling yellow sponge and a pink starfish fills the screen – it’s Soonyoung’s favourite cartoon.

Soonyoung finally comes out of the shower, his hair still wet. “Good morning, Hoonie!”

“Mmm.” Jihoon pretends to be interested in the yellow cartoon sponge running around like mad on the television screen. He doesn’t feel like handling an energetic Soonyoung first thing in the morning, not at least he’s gotten his daily dose of caffeine.

“Did you sleep well?”

“I hate jet lag.” Jihoon mumbles. His stomach growls, begging for food; even Soonyoung can hear it, and he laughs heartily.

“We’re gonna go get breakfast, then I’m giving you the full Hollywood tour!” Soonyoung flops onto the bed next to Jihoon, water droplets flying from his wet hair.

Jihoon’s craving for caffeine, so he wordlessly grabs his things and locks himself in the bathroom to freshen up. Soonyoung’s being extra hyper today, even before breakfast, as he mutes the television and cranks up his music, dancing on the bed. It doesn’t take long for Jihoon to get ready – three songs later, he’s already lacing up his shoes.

“Soonie and Hoonie’s LA adventure, Day 2!” Soonyoung narrates to the camera that he’s holding. Jihoon snorts and rolls his eyes, as they head downstairs to the dining room for breakfast. All the way, Soonyoung chatters about their plans for the day to the camera, speaking to his imaginary audience; giving Jihoon a headache.

Food is the only thing that can shut Soonyoung up, and Jihoon is glad for the relative quietness as his best friend stuffs himself with waffles and pancakes, while Jihoon enjoys a bowl of cereal. Of course, Soonyoung has to bring it up a notch, and makes Jihoon try out so much food that he feels like his stomach is ready to burst anytime. Soonyoung makes a huge deal out of it, explaining each dish to Jihoon, who barely listens and only cares about the total bill.

“I don’t know what you just fed me, but I don’t think I can even walk.” Jihoon says when the pair waddle out of the dining room.

“Too bad, because we’re going to be walking all day!” Soonyoung bounces excitedly, forgetting that he’s filming. 

“What about your car?”

“Hoonie, you need the exercise; you do nothing but sit at your desk all day.”

“I didn’t fly across the Pacific Ocean for you to roast me.”

“Oh, come on, Hoonie, you had a big breakfast…”

“Which you practically forced me to eat.” To be honest, Jihoon appreciates the amount of food he’d been fed; he’d never eat that much back home, though his stomach does feel a tad bit uncomfortable.

“It’s a meokbang; you can’t not eat! And that’s quality content, people on the interwebz like to see other people eat food.”

Jihoon has no counter-argument, because he’s one of the people on the interwebz who likes to see other people eat food. In his defence, he can’t cook lavish meals like that (no skills or money) and for some reason it satiates him – he feels less hungry watching food porn. He lets Soonyoung lead the way through the streets, equipped with a camera on a selfie stick.

The hot Los Angeles sun shines down on them, and Jihoon starts regretting his choice of wearing long sleeves. Soonyoung chatters along, pointing out random things that he finds interesting. Jihoon’s amused at the way Soonyoung’s filming; he’s candid, he has endless stories and theories about the things that he sees. Eventually, Jihoon gets more comfortable in front of the camera, and joins in with his own witty comments; grinning at Soonyoung’s random silliness.

“We are here!” Soonyoung announces grandly into the camera. “The street of stars. Stars on the street. Hollywood’s Walk of Fame!” He swings the camera for a full revolution, the selfie stick nearly knocking a couple of tourists walking by; and he yells out a quick apology as Jihoon pretends to tie his shoelaces under a nearby palm tree, avoiding Soonyoung, who can be embarrassing most times, even though he always has the time of his life hanging out with his best friend.

“So, Mr Jihoon. Any stars you wish to spot?” Soonyoung floats over to Jihoon. Jihoon racks his brain, trying to think of a name, but none comes to his mind.

Soonyoung picks up on the momentary silence. “What’s your favourite movie?” He asks, like an interviewer.

“Civil War, man.” Jihoon blurts out, suddenly remembering the movie day at the company that Mingyu from Human Resources had organized. That movie had been playing, and though Jihoon had been disinterested in the idea at first (because he could simply watch a movie at home if he wanted to); eventually he became enraptured in the plot, and it left a good impression on him.  

“Mmmm.” Soonyoung tries to remember the main actor’s name, but fails. “Uhm, so, whose stars are we going to see today? We’ll find out!” Soonyoung tries to wink into the camera.

“You can’t wink, Soonie.”

Soonyoung tries again. Wink. Wink. Left eye, right eye, but it looks like he has something stuck in his eye rather than a cheeky wink that he’s aiming for; and Jihoon rolls his eyes. The street’s getting saturated with tourists just like them, equipped with cameras and huge backpacks.

“Oh, come on, let’s go look at the stars.” Jihoon says impatiently and starts walking along the pavement, looking at the names on the stars adorning the street, trying to recognize at least one name.

Soonyoung starts to follow Jihoon, but suddenly his camera shuts off. Panicking, he struggles to detach the camera from the selfie stick to check on its battery – it’s dead, since he didn’t charge it last night, so he scuttles off to the side, avoiding the surge of tourists crowding the avenue, snapping away at the stars embedded on the floor. Soonyoung has to dig inside his backpack for an extra battery pack to replace the dead one. Since it’s a new camera, he’s unfamiliar with it, so he makes himself comfortable and sits on the sidewalk; taking a moment to figure out how to replace the battery pack. His face lights up when he finds new USB ports and such as he fiddles with the gadget, adding more time to his battery-replacing quest. Soonyoung’s pretty proud of this purchase, and with the fancy settings on the camera, he might just be the next rising travel vlogpacker! He almost forgets about his travel buddy Jihoon as he discovers new functions on his camera; then takes a few more minutes to pack up his mess back into his bag.

Without realising it, Jihoon’s already disappeared into the crowd, immersed in his own star-spotting. His eyes are glued to the ground, looking at unfamiliar names (those of the stars from the golden black-and-white days); only his peripherals guiding him, following the Chinese couple who are right in front of him, who are doing the exact same thing. He doesn’t know where he’s going, almost desperate to find a familiar name on the stars. So Jihoon walks and walks without noting his surroundings; and only pops his head up to call for his best friend when he finally finds a star with Johnny Depp’s name on it.

Only then he realises that he’s alone, in the midst of strangers – Soonyoung’s nowhere to be seen.

“Soonie?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heads up: first few chapters will be soonie and hoonie being adorable fluffy besties! :]  
> again, this is slow burn idk why i'm doing this but if you read this far thank you!   
> feedback is always appreciated! <3  
> twitter: sleepyscoops


	3. los angeles, day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More shenanigans in LA with Jihoon and Soonyoung!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can call it a filler chapter, but I call it character development XD

It’s only his second day in the city of angels, but Jihoon’s already lost. His mind is already devoid of thoughts; drawing a blank of what he should do. He’d never gotten lost, being a homebody who never had the chance of going on a proper holiday. But now on his first ever trip in forever, in a foreign country, no less – this is why he hates travelling; he could be hibernating in the safety of his apartment in Seoul, rather than being surrounded by a million tourists in Los Angeles.

He’s too shy to ask for directions, besides, he can’t find the right words in the correct language to ask anybody. So he stands there right next to Johnny Depp’s star, looking like a little lost boy. His mind is empty, save for a random chorus of ‘ _mansae mansae mansae yeah’_ on loop in his mind, which is uselessly inappropriate given the circumstances. When someone shouts at him to move out of the way (since he’s practically a human statue standing on Depp’s star) he takes a while to comprehend; then robotically moves out of the way.

Amid the mansae’s in his mind, his mother’s words pop out of nowhere: “ _If you get lost, stay where you are. Mummy will find you._ ”

Flashes of melted chocolate and little Soonyoung’s sticky hands on a hot summer afternoon play through his mind. He remembers that one time he’d gotten lost playing hide and seek with Soonyoung in the park when they were little kids, and it had been his mother who’d found him in a bramble of bushes in the most deserted corner of the local park. Soonyoung had given up seeking for him; going to Jihoon’s mother, crying that his best friend was gone after ten minutes of looking.

But he knows that this time, his mother won’t come and find him, since: a) he’s a grown man; and b) he’s halfway across the world, too far away from home. Jihoon starts re-evaluating his life choices, starting from middle school, followed by high school, then university. All those years, he’s always taken the safest choice, the one that would please everyone around him except for himself.

He realises that his life has been so, so mundane all along, and this is the first exciting thing that’s happened to him in years, not counting the time Mingyu from Human Resources accidentally set a small fire to the company’s pantry, and Jihoon had been the one to put it out (coincidentally, he’d learnt how to use a fire extinguisher right before that from WikiHow, during an unprecedented internet browsing session).

Jihoon wants to be his own person, but he still needs to figure out who he is. That’s why he’d run away from his boring desk job in Seoul, to find himself. He’s been a puppet all those years, doing what others want him to do. But he needs time to understand himself – he feels like he has no character, almost like a robot; doing the things that he has no interest in. He doesn’t remember the last time he felt happy and carefree like Soonyoung, and he’s set out to find that, whatever it takes.

It takes a few more dull memories to pass by before Jihoon straightens out his thoughts. He can’t be hanging around forever lost, waiting for someone to find him – he’s got to stand on his own two feet and find his own way back. Both literally and figuratively, but now it’s more pressing that he finds his way back to Soonyoung – finding himself can come whenever it’s appropriate.

Jihoon starts thinking through all the possibilities to contact Soonyoung. His own cell phone doesn’t have a roaming plan, so he can’t call Soonyoung’s American number with his Korean number (WikiHow’s _How to Travel Internationally_ page did advise to get a prepaid number for travelling purposes, but he didn’t bother). He flicks on the wifi instead, trying to find a signal and maybe text Soonyoung through Kakao, though the chances of him looking at his phone is highly unlikely.

Jihoon holds his phone up high, trying to find a signal, but he isn’t tall enough, and the tourists surrounding him like a wall don’t help at all. He tries jumping up, and his phone suddenly connects to a public wifi network; but the signal disappears once he lands on the ground. He tries again a couple of times, with the same result; and a couple of people glance at him like he’s a bunny on a pogo stick.

“HOONIE! WHERE ARE YOU?” Soonyoung’s voice pops out from the crowd, and Jihoon’s head snaps in the direction from where it’s coming from. He stays put, still adhering to his mother’s advice: _“if you get lost, stay where you are._ ” Jihoon’s sure that he’s not hallucinating due to the intense heat, because he hears Soonyoung’s voice again – it’s pretty hard to miss it since Soonyoung’s practically a human loudspeaker. 

The idiot’s repeating his call in three different languages – English, Korean and Japanese - for some unknown reason, and Jihoon manages to roll his eyes at the ridiculousness. He’s expecting Soonyoung to head towards his direction, but his best friend’s voice starts disappearing: he’s probably taken a different turn, away from Jihoon.

Jihoon knows that it’s now or never, though he doesn’t exactly know where Soonyoung is, he calls out for him as well. “SOONIE! I’M HERE! SOONIEEEEEEE, YOU IDIOT.” Jihoon rushes through the gaggle of European tourists alighting from a tour bus, bumping into a couple of them, but he doesn’t relent, eyes peeled for his best friend.

Soonyoung’s standing on the corner, narrating into his camera with a sad expression (probably reporting about Jihoon’s disappearance) when Jihoon spots him.

“Soonie!” Jihoon shouts, louder than he’s ever done in the past five years. He runs over to his best friend, as Soonyoung finally pops his head in Jihoon’s direction.

“HOONIE! I missed you!” Soonyoung’s expression instantaneously lights up when he sees the blond man approaching. He drags Jihoon into a tight embrace, almost dropping his camera.

Jihoon wriggles out of Soonyoung’s embrace. “I wasn’t gone for that long.” The tips of his ears turn red, as onlookers watch their heart-wrenching reunion on Hollywood Boulevard; as if they’re filming for some movie.

“Had to replace my camera’s battery. All good now.” Soonyoung grins.

“Anyway, I found Johnny Depp’s star.”

“Nice! Lead the way!”

Jihoon takes a while to find his bearings, but he doesn’t know exactly where the star is anymore. He’d been too immersed on the sidewalk to notice any landmarks, and as he looks around, everything looks similar. Soonyoung knows that Jihoon is hopeless with directions, and pats Jihoon’s shoulder, the smaller man looking helpless with his little pout.

“It’s fine. This time, let’s do it together.” Soonyoung pats Jihoon’s shoulder, but the blond doesn’t listen, still trying to figure out where he is. Soonyoung turns to his camera instead, making sure that the both of them are captured in the frame.

“Soonie and Hoonie on the Walk of Fame! Whose stars shall we spot today?”

* * *

Jihoon and Soonyoung spend the whole morning walking along Hollywood’s Walk of Fame along with another throng of tourists from Japan (whom Soonyoung had instantaneously made friends with, conversing with them in his halting Japanese); then they’d gone for lunch at a hamburger place which Soonyoung claims is the “best burger shop on America’s West Coast”. Jihoon can attest to that, and has a couple of juicy burgers, despite his huge breakfast – they’re _that_ good.

Jihoon doesn’t want to tell Soonyoung, but travelling has unleashed his inner foodie – Jihoon feels like he has a second stomach hidden somewhere in his anatomy reserved for food tours like this. Before, he’d never had the chance (or money) to sample different kinds of food, so he appreciates this opportunity to eat a lot. Soonyoung assures Jihoon that he’ll pay for everything, so Jihoon kind of feels bad, but he’s not complaining because it’s free food for him.  

“You’ve been travelling so much; haven’t you spent all of your money in your trust fund?” Jihoon asks timidly over animal fries. As a working person, he values the money he makes, but Soonyoung’s never worked a day in his life, and has been travelling ever since he finished university.

Soonyoung laughs. “Don’t worry about that, Hoonie. There’s more of where it’s coming from.” He replies with a cryptic smile; so Jihoon leaves it at that. If there’s one thing the two friends don’t really talk about, it’s about their families’ financial status; the gross picture is that Soonyoung’s family is quite well-off, though Jihoon doesn’t know to what extent. He drops the topic there and then, as Soonyoung directs the conversation to the camera, singing praises for the best burger on the West Coast.

After lunch, they return to the hotel to retrieve Soonyoung’s rented blue Audi, heading for the hills that border the city; but not before stopping to get Jihoon a local prepaid phone number for emergency purposes. Jihoon enjoys the ride up the winding hill roads leading to the famous observatory that stood on a cliff overlooking Los Angeles – he’s quickly adapting to Soonyoung’s wild driving, even if he still clings to his seat belt for dear life.

The view at the observatory is astounding – Jihoon had never seen anything like it – as they’re presented with a clear view of the LA city skyline. They don’t go inside, but join a bunch of tourists that just spilled out of a bus in front of them, milling around the well-kept area. It’s almost like a park surrounding the observatory, with trimmed shrubs and greenery everywhere, and the two friends sit on a bench overlooking the city.

For once, Soonyoung stops filming as the both of them just enjoy the view, reminiscing about their childhood. Soonyoung even tries to skirt around the topic of Jihoon’s accounting job, but Jihoon’s good at avoiding the questions that he decides to ask another time. Soonyoung silently vows to himself that he’ll somehow convince Jihoon to drop that job – he feels like his best friend deserves better. Jihoon might argue that he’s getting paid for doing something that he’s good at, but despite his absence from Jihoon’s life since graduation, Soonyoung knows that his best friend is miserable. However, Soonyoung notices that Jihoon is less twitchy the longer the time he spends in la la land – this vacation is doing him good.

“You happy, Hoonie?” Soonyoung glances at his best friend. He has to admit, sometimes Jihoon can be hard to read.

Jihoon doesn’t reply immediately, but a small smile forms on his lips. He stands up suddenly, saying; “Let’s go.”

Soonyoung takes that as a silent yes.

Before sunset, they make the customary pilgrimage to the Hollywood sign (Soonyoung knows a spot in the hills that offered a better view than the viewing point that serves as a tourist trap, finally making it after getting lost in the winding hill roads). Truthfully, Jihoon doesn’t find the Hollywood sign that amazing – to him, it’s just a bunch of letters on the side of a hill that shows the name of the place. Too much hype for something so ordinary, he’d thought; but hey, it’s still a landmark, so Soonyoung makes Jihoon pose awkwardly in front of the sign to snap a couple of photos. They don’t spend a long time there, since there’s nothing much to do, and soon are on their way back to the city.

Soonyoung, of course, has to make a show out of dinner; this time, they patron a Korean restaurant. Soonyoung almost orders the whole menu but Jihoon stops him from going overboard; his frugal side showing (though Soonyoung would most probably pay - and charm his way for a discount - Jihoon notices that the prices are a bit on the expensive side).

“I miss home,” Soonyoung says, as he chomps on a mouthful of soondae.

“Then go home.” Jihoon sips his drink, offering the same suggestion Soonyoung had given him a few weeks ago. The Korean cuisine also makes him miss home, though he’s only been in LA for barely two days. There’s no place like home, he supposes.

“It’s hard to get good kimchi elsewhere.” Soonyoung laments, thoroughly enjoying his food. He’s been touring the globe for one and a half years, seeing the world, sampling all kinds of exotic cuisine. Soonyoung had grown up on authentic Korean food, so when he craves it for a break from fermented herring or fiery Indian curry, of course he can tell the stark difference between the real deal and the foreign replicas overseas.

“Kimchi is Korean; it won’t feel right if you don’t eat it in Korea.” Jihoon says, and Soonyoung wholly agrees.

It’s been a long, long day, and the pair of best friends finally make it back to their room. Jihoon can’t feel his feet anymore; all he wants to do is crawl into bed and hibernate for the next five years.

After freshening up, Soonyoung stays up to review the footage he’d recorded all day on his handheld camera; as Jihoon snores on his bed, tired after a long day. There’s too much footage (now he dreads to watch the footage of the camera in his car), but it’s nice to see what happened that day. He’d had a fun day with Jihoon, and for a person who’s been travelling solo for a while now, the company is nice, especially when it’s with his best friend since forever. Jihoon doesn’t travel much, so Soonyoung takes it upon himself to help Jihoon have the time of his life.

It's late, and Soonyoung doesn’t have the time to watch everything, so he sets his camera aside, remembering to plug it in. He doesn’t want a repeat of today’s episode of losing a grown man on Hollywood Boulevard; Jihoon’s worried expression worried him even more. He’s supposed to help Jihoon destress on this vacation, not stress him more. He admits, that was partly his fault for not looking after Jihoon, the travel beginner, and being momentarily fascinated (read: distracted) with his new camera in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard was uncalled for.

“Night, Hoonie.” Soonyoung whispers as he turns off the light, glancing at his best friend buried under the bundle of sheets on the next bed. He drifts off to sleep, but not before thinking that he’s going to have a hella crazy time editing the footage for day two of Soonie and Hoonie’s LA adventure.


	4. beach babies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon and Soonyoung go the boardwalk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more 'character development'...for those looking for the Jicheol it'll come in a few more chapters (シ_ _)シ please be patient!  
> (I did say this fic was slow burn!)
> 
> anyway, enjoy! ^^

Breakfast smells fill the dining room – the rich aroma of brewing coffee, with a hint of grease from eggs and bacon, added with a touch of wheat and flour from toasted bread. Soonyoung and Jihoon are up early today, ready for another day of exploring Los Angeles. Soonyoung’s telling Jihoon about the dream he had about marshmallows as they walk downstairs to the dining room, when they’re greeted with the mouth-watering breakfast scents, and Soonyoung immediately shuts up. The two friends don’t say a word as they separate to the breakfast buffet for their first fill of food for the day. Jihoon’s content with a bowl of cereal and pancakes, but adventurous foodie Soonyoung goes wild and takes a little of everything.

They settle at a booth by the window. Soonyoung tries to balance his laden plates on his arms to save a few trips from the buffet; and Jihoon hopes that no accidents would happen. He internally releases a quiet sigh when Soonyoung gently lays his plates onto the table with an excited grin on his face, at the prospect of food. Jihoon barely recognises some of the dishes Soonyoung has picked - only because he’d been introduced to them in a breakfast crash course just yesterday morning – but today it seems like a completely different menu.

“Thank you for the food!” Soonyoung exclaims in Japanese, clasping his hands (even though they’re nowhere near the land of the rising sun) and immediately digs in without hesitating.

Jihoon calmly eats his own share of food, nursing his steaming mug. “Coffee.” His second favourite thing in the world, after sleep.

“Milk!” Soonyoung attacks his cold glass of chocolate milk. He takes a drink, and there’s a prominent chocolate moustache on his upper lip when he sets the glass down. He’s practically an overgrown man-child, Jihoon thinks – it’s a miracle that he survived on his own in his travels. Soonyoung practically inhales his food, like he’s been starved for days, thoroughly savouring every bite.

Jihoon simply sips his coffee, watching Soonyoung’s antics. He feels re-energized, as the caffeine rushes through his bloodstream, plus, he’d gotten twelve hours of sleep. For once, he feels relaxed, calmly enjoying his breakfast, ah, this is the life, with nothing to rush to.

“Soonie, don’t you dare lick your plate.” Jihoon warns. Despite the huge amount of food he’d ingested, Soonyoung finishes every crumb; and is short of licking his plate clean when Jihoon gives him a death glare. Soonyoung slowly puts his plate down, looking guilty; but unceremoniously releases a burp out of nowhere.

They’re sated when they leave the dining hall, and Jihoon notices (with a thankful sigh) that Soonyoung was too absorbed in breakfast to remember to film the start of their day. Soonyoung only switches on his fully charged camera in the lobby before they leave the lodgings for their plans for the day. He burps again as the camera starts recording, then laughs freely.

“Day 3! Soonie and Hoonie’s LA adventure!” Soonyoung grins into the camera, and Jihoon follows suit.  “Hoonie, you’re today’s camera fairy.” He bestows the camera attached to the selfie stick to Jihoon, who accepts it hesitantly.

“Oh.” Jihoon weighs the selfie stick in his hands; it feels kind of heavy.

“You can’t say no; I’ve already declared you the camera fairy.” Soonyoung says.

“Fine.” Jihoon pouts into the camera.

“Don’t act cute, it’s weird. And don’t hog the camera, it’s SOONIE and Hoonie’s LA adventure for a reason.” Soonyoung commands, emphasising his name in their joint adventure.

Jihoon rolls his eyes. “Whatever.”

“Okay. So you’re gonna look into the camera looking lost like you did yesterday, then you ask ‘where are we going today?’; then I’m gonna pop into the frame and say, ‘we’re going to the beach!’” Soonyoung directs.

“Our outfits are already giving it away.” Jihoon points out. They’re both already decked out in shorts and flip-flops – Soonyoung’s even wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt.

“Don’t make this difficult. Ready, action!”  Soonyoung scurries out of frame.

Jihoon sighs once (why does Soonyoung have to be so extra?) and complies with his directing, putting on his best ‘I’m lost’ expression. “Hmmmm, where are we going today?”

“We’re going to the beach!” Soonyoung literally jumps into the camera view, grinning excitedly. Jihoon bends over, laughing madly, because it’s too ridiculous, and ends up filming the lobby floor.

“Make sure you keep the camera level!” Soonyoung grabs the selfie stick and corrects the view. “I don’t want any weird shots of your feet.”

Jihoon quickly calms himself down, but a smile still sticks onto his face. “Yeah, yeah, sure. Can we go now?”

“Let’s go!” The two of them leave the hotel lobby, and Soonyoung’s gabbing about how amazed he is that they did that scene in one shot (Jihoon’s glad that they didn’t have to repeat it). The blue Audi that Soonyoung drives is waiting for them in the adjacent parking lot. Soonyoung stuffs his omnipresent backpack into the car boot, as Jihoon carefully buckles himself into the passenger seat.

“Santa Monica’s a tourist trap,” Soonyoung starts to narrate as he navigates out of the carpark. “But it’s classic; you can’t miss out on it when you visit Los Angeles.”

“I’m pretty sure there are other beaches too.” Jihoon comments.

“There are, but when you think of LA beaches, surely you’ll think of the Santa Monica pier!” Soonyoung starts listing all the activities that can be done at Santa Monica, like he’s a seasoned tourist guide. “So many things to do on the boardwalk – we’ve got to have ice-cream, and we’re going to go biking; apparently it’s a good way to explore the place!”

“Sounds…interesting.” Jihoon says unenthusiastically, looking out the window at the palm trees lining the avenue. The number of palm trees in Los Angeles astounds him; it seems like there is one every few metres. That’s the charm of LA, and he finds it intriguing.

“It’s either biking or Rollerblading.” Soonyoung says, focusing on the road ahead. “Ayo ayo, I’m changing lanes.” He mutters, flicking on his signal; turning the vehicle. Someone honks from behind, making Jihoon instinctively tighten his seatbelt.

Jihoon shudders at the idea of trying to Rollerblade – he’s never done it before. Today he doesn’t feel like making a fool of himself on the beach by trying to master something new in a blink; that’s more of Soonyoung. “Biking it is then.”

“Actually, I wanted to Rollerblade.” Soonyoung counters. “You’d be good at it, Hoonie, you have good balance.”

“We’re biking.” Jihoon says adamantly. He knows how flaky Soonyoung can be when making decisions, so he insists on biking.

“Okayyyyyyy.” Soonyoung drags the syllables. If Jihoon weren’t there, he’d probably end up doing both, but he’s glad that Jihoon makes the call. “Karaoke time!” He turns the music up, singing soulfully to whatever’s on his special playlist that he’d hooked up onto the sound system.

Jihoon doesn’t sing along to the Top 40 songs that plague Soonyoung’s playlist, since he’s more into indie music (which he barely has the time to listen to anyway). When Soonyoung belts out a high note rivalling Ariana Grande’s; Jihoon announces that he’ll be in charge of the car music from then onwards. Soonyoung’s taste in music is questionable; the guy listens to everything from indie Korean music to Bach to tribal African drums (which may be very worldly, but Jihoon personally feels that sacred aboriginal chants are inappropriate vacation music).

“We are here!” Soonyoung sing-songs, and pulls into a parking spot that overlooks the glistening blue sea. As someone who’s been constantly surrounded by the urban jungle of Seoul, Jihoon marvels at the wide Pacific Ocean lying ahead of him. Though it’s still early, there are already a bunch of tourists milling around on the boardwalk.

The sun is shining brightly; its rays relentless, making the whole scene more vivid with colours, almost like something from a postcard. Jihoon wanders closer to the sand, marvelling at how golden it is; reaching out to the blue sea, soft waves crashing onto the shore. Of course, a palm tree completes the picture; its green fronds waving in the hot breeze. The sky is clear, only tainted with a streak of contrail; and the infamous Santa Monica pier juts out to the ocean, with the Ferris wheel marking the end of the structure. Jihoon, who’s only ever seen this scene in movies, doesn’t realise that his mouth is agape in amazement (and it usually takes a lot to impress jaded Jihoon).  

“Take a photo, Hoonie, it’ll last longer.” Soonyoung is ready with his camera.

“Give me the camera; I’ll take a photo of you.” Jihoon absolutely despises being in photographs – he never knows what to do with his hands.

“Nooooo, this is Soonie and Hoonie’s LA adventure, and with my name being the first in that title, plus, with my superior extra five months of life experience, I use my veto power to declare that you’re going to be the camera fairy and the photo model.” Soonyoung says. He’s slightly older than Jihoon, always claiming that the five-month age difference gives him the extra edge in things (they’re still born in the same year, but most of the time Jihoon acts more mature than Soonyoung).

Jihoon doesn’t have the strength to argue over something so petty. “Fine.”

“Give me a peace sign. You look so awkward.” Soonyoung eyes him from the camera lenses, snapping away.

Jihoon complies, internally cringing.

“And smile, Hoonie!” Soonyoung directs, much like his own mother.

Jihoon smiles so widely that his eyes crinkle up at the sides. Soonyoung finishes photographing him, then points his camera to capture the tourists eating corndogs nearby; slowly walking off.

“Done?” Jihoon catches up with his best friend, who’s now trying to snap photos of seagulls.

Soonyoung looks up from his camera, like he just remembered that he has a travel buddy. “Yep. The beach is waiting!”

The two of them decide to rent bicycles from a bike shop nearby and head to the pier first. There are a variety of selections to choose from: bicycles, hoverboards, scooters and other mobile contraptions that Jihoon can’t name. Jihoon does his best to steer Soonyoung away from the Rollerblade selection, just in case Soonyoung changes his mind (yet again), but Soonyoung’s distracted by the hoverboards, and tries them out for fun, making Jihoon film him. Of course, Soonyoung’s never ridden a hoverboard before, so he makes the guy behind the counter to teach him in under five minutes, and ends up falling on his bottom trying to avoid a pole. Soonyoung laughs it off (though his butt is a bit sore), and dismisses the idea of riding hoverboards, much to Jihoon’s relief. They spend an unexpected long while in the shop, because Soonyoung wants to look at everything available in the little beach shack (except for the Rollerblades – Jihoon tells him that there are none in that particular shop).

It's half an hour later when they finally pick out their bicycles. Jihoon manages to talk Soonyoung out of renting a tandem bicycle (no, just no), but instantly regrets it when Soonyoung fixes the camcorder to Jihoon’s rented red bicycle.  

“Since I only have one camera, I’ll let you be the star of the day.” Soonyoung grins after assuring to the bike rental guy that he won’t damage the bicycles; and that he’s a budding travel vlogger. That last bit of information doesn’t seem to faze the guy one bit; he’s probably encountered many of those in his time working there.

“I don’t talk as well as you do, Soonie.” Between the two, Soonyoung’s the better orator, easily expressing his mind in words and actions. Jihoon’s not too bad, either, only that he’s more careful when choosing his words, while Soonyoung comes off unfiltered. Jihoon’s watched all those vloggers online, and they’re all so candid (plus the power of editing). Jihoon doesn’t think he comes off that way, so he figures that he’d be terrible at it.

Soonyoung simply waggles his eyebrows as he tightens the camera onto Jihoon’s bike handle. “You’ll do well, camera fairy.”

“Why don’t you grab the dashboard camera and fix it onto your bicycle?” Jihoon suggests.

“Ooh, that’s a good idea!” Soonyoung says, but his face darkens almost instantaneously when he thinks about the amount of footage that he’ll have to traipse through for the final cut. “Nah, it’s fine.” He waves it off.

Jihoon narrows his eyes. “But like you said, it’s SOONIE and Hoonie’s LA adventure, so we can’t miss you out.” He emphasises Soonyoung’s name, making the older one squirm (Jihoon is scary, especially when he uses your own words against you). “Or are you going to use your veto power again?”

“Race you to the pier!” Soonyoung hops onto his yellow bicycle and cycles off.

“Idiot.” Jihoon mutters under his breath, forgetting that the camera’s right under his nose, filming all his movements. He tries to catch up to Soonyoung, whose dark head can barely be seen in the crowds on the boardwalk. There are so many other people: distracted tourists snapping away with their DSLRs, Rollerbladers, other cyclists and surfer dudes with their longboards congesting the boardwalk that Jihoon has to slow down and wheel his bike through them, muttering quiet _excuse me’s_.

It’s a wonder how Soonyoung disappears so quickly amid the large number of people, so Jihoon peers into the camera fixed onto his bike handle. “Soonie’s gone. Again. Apparently, we’re racing to the pier over there,” he gestures to the huge Ferris wheel on the pier, which isn’t in the camera frame – “but there’s so many people on the boardwalk that I lost him.”

As Jihoon moves away from the parking area where the bike shop is located, the crowds thin out; so he jumps back on his bicycle and starts heading to the pier. “That place was kind of near to the parking lot and rest area, that’s why there’s a lot of people. Now I’m kind of a distance away, so there’s less people and I can ride properly.”

Jihoon hasn’t cycled in a while now, but the old skills he’d learnt when he was young naturally comes back to him, so he’s cruising on the boardwalk at a leisurely speed. He spies Soonyoung’s backpack in the distance, but he doesn’t make any effort to catch up with his best friend. He likes the pace at which he’s going now – he’s not rushing anywhere; and despite the heat of the sun burning down on him, he likes the salty sea breeze whipping through his blond hair as he whizzes on his red bike on the boardwalk. The waves lapping against the shore in the distance sounds calming; seagulls screeching overhead – all his senses are alive.

Jihoon doesn’t realise that there’s a rare smile forming on his lips, filmed by the camera in front of him. For once, there’s not a single worry in his mind.

This is what living is; enjoying the moment.


	5. beach babies 2.0

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon and Soonyoung enjoy their time on the boardwalk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, I'm getting the best out of the soonhoon bromance. OTL  
> disclaimer: i've never been to santa monica beach so...this is purely from my imagination :]

“Took you long enough.” Soonyoung pronounces, watching Jihoon park his bike next to his on the bike stand outside an ice-cream shop on the pier. Jihoon had taken his sweet time to get there; trailing Soonyoung from a distance. He’d truly enjoyed the bicycle ride from the boardwalk to the pier; the remnants of a satisfied smile still adorn his face.

“Mm.”

“I think I aged ten years waiting for you, grandpa.” Soonyoung laughs, dismantling the camera from Jihoon’s bike handle, checking it. There’s no time for Soonyoung to review the footage; but there’s still enough battery to go on for a few more hours before it dies again.

Jihoon simply rolls his eyes. “So. What is there to do here, Soonie?”

“I’m glad you asked, Hoonie!” Soonyoung immediately changes into his tour guide self, filming the both of them. “You see, we had a race from the boardwalk earlier, and grandpa Hoonie here was the last to come…so he’s gonna treat me some ice-cream!” Soonyoung bounces excitedly, shaking the camera. Jihoon just sighs in defeat, though he smiles at Soonyoung’s childish request.

“You want ice-cream.”

“Yep. And you’re buying.”  Soonyoung opens the door to the ice-cream parlour. The interior has an old-timey concept, with a huge jukebox in the corner, gaudy booths, and an employee wearing a striped shirt manning the ice-cream station. “Ooh, the deco is nice. Vintage.” Soonyoung pans the camera around for a 360-degree view of the place. “I feel like I’ve been transported to the swingin’ fifties.” Soonyoung does a little twist.

“You speak English better than I do, so you order.” Jihoon complains, trailing after Soonyoung. He’s less confident in his English-speaking skills, but he does understand basic conversations. On the other hand, Soonyoung’s a seasoned conversationalist, having communicated with many people in English, thanks to his travels.

“This is your chance to shine! Go for it!” Soonyoung cheers for him, hopping like mad.

Jihoon’s already palpitating at the prospect of speaking to a stranger in a foreign language; so he wants to get this over with. “Hurry. What do you want?”

Soonyoung, of course, has to take his time and look at all the selections available. He fusses over the variety of flavours – it’s not just your basic chocolate/vanilla/strawberry – marvelling over the exotic choices with the catchy names, such as mango tango, berry bubblegum, tangy tangerine, even wasabi…

“I want everything!” He bounces like an excited five-year-old.    

Jihoon gives Soonyoung a death stare, but Soonyoung’s too busy ogling over the different flavours to notice.

“A cone of wasabi for my friend, please.” Jihoon mutters in Korean, loud enough for Soonyoung to hear. He grins mischievously as Soonyoung whirls around with a horrified look on his face. When Soonyoung realises that his best friend was only teasing him, he goes back to what he was doing, pressing his face up against the glass case of ice-cream, much to the horror of the employee waiting for them to make an order.

“Can I have two scoops on a cone? Wait, make that three.” Soonyoung asks the girl behind the counter, who nods back impatiently.

Soonyoung takes another five minutes to inspect each of the forty flavours offered, from one end of the glass case to the other; while Jihoon watches him, thinking that Soonyoung’s biggest worry in life is choosing ice-cream flavours - how carefree. Jihoon feels that his self-confidence is dwindling by the moment; he wants to hop on his bike and ride away, rather than face that girl behind the counter, ordering whatever Soonyoung wants (probably a twisted and complicated concoction, judging from his indecision to pick flavours). 

After a few minutes of perusing, and mumbling to himself, Soonyoung loudly announces to the whole place: “I have made my decision.” Jihoon half-expects the other customers to stand up and clap for him, like they do in the movies, but real life isn’t as dramatic because everyone ignores him.

“Three scoops. Rocky road, marshmallow bubblegum and the tropical fruit mix. Hoonie will order for me.” Soonyoung grins, letting Jihoon step up to the counter.

“Are you ready to order, sir?” The girl behind the counter asks with a bored tone.

“Uh, yes.” Jihoon recites Soonyoung’s order exactly as he’d said it earlier, then adding his own order; “And one scoop of vanilla, on a cone.”

“Alright then. That’s it?” The employee asks, and Jihoon nods for confirmation. He internally sighs with relief, glad that it’s almost over.

“Wait, I forgot about toppings!” Soonyoung exclaims, eyeing the bowls of colourful toppings on the counter.

“You’re not getting any toppings.” Jihoon says. “Too much sugar.” Normal Soonyoung is already a handful to handle; and sugar-induced Soonyoung is almost impossible to control. Jihoon knows, he’s been there a couple of times. High school had been the most colourful years of his life thanks to little packets of Skittles that Soonyoung snacked on in maths class.

The ice-cream girl hurries to make their orders; and the exchange is complete as the cash register goes ka-ching. Jihoon’s surprised that he has to pay an atrocious amount of money just for ice-cream; but hey, it’s not every day that you have ice-cream with your best friend on the Santa Monica pier.

“I scream, you scream, gimme gimme that ice cream.” Soonyoung chants happily as he receives his towering ice-cream cone; zooming it onto the camera. He almost tips the cone over when trying to adjust the camera to get a good angle, and Jihoon almost goes ballistic.

“Do not drop anything.” Jihoon warns in his scariest voice, and quickly thanks their server. He drags Soonyoung out of the place, making sure that Soonyoung’s cone is still intact – he paid a lot of money for that, and he doesn’t want to see even a drop of it on the floor.

“I’ve got the best ice-cream combo; and all Hoonie got is boring vanilla.” Soonyoung tells the camera. There’s a smidge of rocky road on his nose.

“Vanilla’s not boring.” Jihoon defends himself, licking his cone. “I just don’t like sweet things.” The creamy taste of the ice-cream melts in his mouth, a refreshing contrast against the hot weather. He takes the camera from Soonyoung, who’s trying to eat his ice-cream. “Tell us about your ice-cream, Soonie.”

Soonyoung eagerly describes his cone as Jihoon films him. They wander around the pier, finishing up their cones, soaking up the general atmosphere. Soonyoung reminisces their childhood, especially the ice-cream related episodes; recalling how Jihoon would always stick with his customary vanilla cone, while Soonyoung goes for the wild flavours. Jihoon remembers hot summer afternoons and the ice-cream man, and Soonyoung would drag him to chase after the ice-cream van so that they could cool themselves down with a scoop of ice-cream after play time.

“Sometimes I ask for strawberry if I feel a little festive.” Jihoon says bluntly, and his witty comment makes Soonyoung laugh out loud.

Jihoon finishes his vanilla cone fairly quickly, while Soonyoung takes his time tasting the three flavours. Soonyoung even lets Jihoon have some of his marshmallow bubblegum ice-cream, which makes Jihoon crumple his face – it’s simply too sweet for his palate. They wander around the pier as Soonyoung finishes his dessert, loudly planning out which activities to do.

There’s so many things so see and do on the pier alone – like Soonyoung said earlier, it’s a tourist trap. Jihoon sticks closely to Soonyoung, getting suffocated by the large number of people on the pier; but he’s still fascinated by everything happening around him. The pair of best friends end up spending the whole day on the pier itself, sampling the greasy street food, and trying out almost all the activities on offer.

The general festive atmosphere makes Jihoon feel good, but at the end of the day he feels like he needs about thirty years of sleep after all the excitement. As the number of tourists on dwindle, Soonyoung calls it a day and they head back to the ice-cream shop where they’d parked their rented bicycles. The journey back to the boardwalk is uneventful, and they return the bikes where they rented it. Jihoon’s gotten a little attached to the red bike, but he reluctantly lets it go, making a mental note to himself to get a red bike when he gets back home.

Jihoon’s all ready to strap himself in the passenger seat of Soonyoung’s rented car so that they can head back, but Soonyoung pulls Jihoon to the beach and starts filming him instead, insisting that they need a closing segment to wrap up the day.

“So what did we do today? Quick, we need to wrap things up before the camera battery dies.” Soonyoung rushes.

Jihoon thinks for a while. “You screamed your lungs out on the roller coaster. My left ear is now deaf thanks to you.”

“Chronological order, Hoonie.”

“Fine.”

Suddenly, the camera shuts off. As Soonyoung’s face falls, Jihoon rejoices.

“Oh.” Soonyoung’s lips practically form an ‘O’; he wasn’t expecting that (even though the camera battery’s been flashing red for a while now).

Jihoon can’t hide the relief in his voice. “Too bad. Let’s go home.”

“Wait!” Soonyoung whips his phone out of his pocket, and starts filming using the video recorder. “Okay, I’m recording. So, what did we do today?”

“Can’t we do this later?” Jihoon’s already thinking about his warm bed. He sighs – he doesn’t have the strength to deal with a persuasive Soonyoung after a long day.  

“The sunset’s a good background. Do it like a monologue thing!”

Jihoon sits on the sand, watching the sunset. There are a couple of surfers still shredding the waves out at sea; while the Ferris wheel on the pier twinkles like a beacon, lighting up in different colours. Most beachgoers are packing up their things, clearing the beach. Soon it’s going to get dark, so Jihoon figures that it’s best to get it over with, plus, it’s not every day that he gets to see the sun set over the glorious blue Pacific Ocean. The sky is a mixture of yellow and orange, as the sun’s rays reach out the corners of the world, radiating a warm glow. It’s as picturesque as the movies; only more vivid and real, with the warm sand squelching underneath his feet, and the sound of the waves sweeping against the shore, marked by shouts from a surfer wiping out on a small wave out at sea.

It’s been a beautiful day, and as if on cue, Jihoon’s mind begins to replay memories of that day. 

“We went biking on the boardwalk. We had a race to get to the pier,” - Jihoon glares at Soonyoung – “but Soonie got a head start so I guess he won.”  

“I got ice-cream!” Soonyoung interjects, focusing the camera on himself.

“Yeah, so you got a sugar rush because of that, and we practically did everything on the pier.”

“I loved the trapeze class.”

Jihoon remembers it clearly - there are trapeze lessons right there on the pier, and Soonyoung had signed up for it on the spot without thinking twice. Jihoon had declined to join, offering to film an excited Soonyoung as he flipped through the air like a seasoned professional after a tutorial. He knows that his best friend has an affinity for the arts – the two of them went for dance classes in middle school, and Soonyoung was an avid dancer all the way through high school – so seeing Soonyoung gracefully fly through the air, like a bird, invoked amazement in the depths of Jihoon’s jaded soul. So fearless, so much freedom. Exactly what Jihoon thinks he wants, to get out of his quarter-life funk.

Added with the sugar rush from his unique ice-cream order earlier on, the adrenaline surging through Soonyoung’s veins once the class ended made him even more hyper. Usually, Jihoon would remain passive and try to avoid interacting with a hyper Soonyoung (who would always have the most outrageous ideas), but today, Jihoon played along with him, and unexpectedly enjoyed himself, doing things that he wouldn’t do on his own, like riding a rollercoaster.

“The rollercoaster was the bomb.” Jihoon says.

“I can’t believe you wanted to go twice.”

Jihoon simply shrugs. The first time had been terrifying – the roller coaster track went up as high as three storeys, before a plunging drop; but during the second time around, Jihoon managed to enjoy the stunning views around him – of the pier, of the ocean, of the Los Angeles city skyline – in those fleeting moments, he reflected about appreciating the view when you’re simply cruising through life (yeah, how deep, especially during a roller coaster ride); then followed by the high-speed drop from the peak, winding and twisting through sharp corners and loop-de-loops that he thought that his  heart was going to drop out of his chest. A bit like life, he supposed, as the ride ended, and both Soonyoung and Jihoon looked so dishevelled from the wild ride. Jihoon had laughed at how Soonyoung had been so terrified both times, but still went with him.

Following the adrenaline surge from the roller coaster, the best friends had tried the exciting rides that the amusement park on the pier had to offer. It had been an insanely exciting afternoon for them, which was fuelled even more when Jihoon, a self-proclaimed avid gamer, spotted a game arcade.

“Then we went to the arcade and I kicked your ass.” Jihoon puffs out his chest. They’d spent a bunch of tokens on a racing game, just because Soonyoung wanted revenge on Jihoon for beating him all the time.

“You’ve always been better than me at games anyway.” Soonyoung snorts, angling the camera again for the best shot.

“Oh, yeah, and I mentioned the roller coaster; I’m not saying that again. Good luck editing that in.”

Soonyoung makes a disgruntled noise; he hasn’t any idea on how to edit the footage for the final cut. “Let’s talk food.”

“Mmm. Food was awesome, I guess. I had like a ton of hotdogs and corndogs and tacos…”

“Ice cream.” Soonyouung interjects.

“That, too.” Jihoon snorts. “I’ve never really had most of the street food I had today.”

“Welcome to America.”

“That buttered lobster was out of this world. I liked it.” Jihoon says, remembering the taste of the lobster wrapped in creamy, buttery goodness. Soonyoung had insisted on having seafood at one of the restaurants on the pier. It had been a long wait, but the menu was worth it.

“The grilled fish was awesome, too. Ugh, talking about it makes me feel hungry again.” Soonyoung rubs his stomach, making Jihoon laugh. There’s a sudden lull in the conversation, and pair of best friends look out to the sunset – it’s getting dangerously low on the horizon. The darkness is slowly enveloping the City of Angels, though the fluorescent lights of the city makes it feel alive.

Jihoon sighs.  “What a day. We’ve done so much, and that was only on the pier.”

“The only thing we didn’t do was fishing.” Soonyoung’s adept at feeding the conversation flow.

“Ah, yes.” Jihoon remembers the weathered old men with their high-tech fishing equipment lined up against one side of the pier; their fishing lines propped against the railings. Of course, there had been a shop offering fishing gear nearby, for day trippers like them, but they’d skipped the idea mainly because Soonyoung wouldn’t be able to focus for about two seconds. Jihoon wonders if there’s anything to catch, since there wasn’t much action at the fishing area; mainly the fishermen casting their lines out to sea, then waiting around for a bite on their bait. On another day, Jihoon would’ve gone fishing – it seems like a good unwinding activity – but he’d been pumped with adrenaline from the roller coaster, so he wanted to do something exciting, and fishing just wasn’t it.

“Hoonie’s now an adrenaline junkie, so fishing’s not his thing.”

Jihoon grins at Soonyoung’s statement and roughly punches his arm.

“Also, do not get on Hoonie’s bad side. Even though he looks harmless, he can actually kill people.”

“Not that I’ve done it.”

Soonyoung looks at Jihoon, just to make sure that his best friend isn’t homicidal, but the blond looks indifferent. “Anywayyyy.” He drags out the word. “Since we didn’t get the full beach experience, I think I know what we’re gonna do tomorrow.”

Jihoon suddenly dreads what Soonyoung has planned, since it could be anything, from visiting a petting zoo, or maybe join a filming at a studio as stunt doubles (maybe the latter would be less likely, but with Soonyoung’s globalised connections, it could still happen). Or, it could be an archaeological dig by the beach, since Soonyoung mentioned something about a full beach experience…

“I just need to contact a few people to see if we can actually do it.” Soonyoung grins.

Jihoon doesn’t reply, simply looking out to the sea.

“I guess it’s a wrap. Soonie and Hoonie’s LA adventure, day 3. End.”


	6. dig deeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories of Jihoon's past resurface.

Jihoon and Soonyoung’s fourth day in Los Angeles is a rest day; since Jihoon’s out cold. He’s been sleeping all day, recharging his batteries after spending all of yesterday at Santa Monica Pier. Soonyoung can’t even wake him up for breakfast, because Jihoon swats him off when he tries.

“Mmf.” Jihoon mumbles something unintelligible from under the covers, so Soonyoung leaves him alone.

Soonyoung goes for breakfast on his own, though it’s noticeably lonely having no one to talk to. He finishes his breakfast quickly, swallowing half of the breakfast buffet. He flips through the morning papers, though only the comics section interest him (other news bits are too worrying for carefree Soonyoung). There’s nothing else for him to do, so he leaves the dining room, wondering what to do without Jihoon.

He’s between decisions of staying in, or going out to explore the city alone; but remembers that he has a lot of footage to review to put up on his travel blog. Usually he posts on the second or third day of his travels in a new city, so he’s overdue for a new entry for Los Angeles.

Returning to his room (greeted with a lightly snoring burrito on one bed), Soonyoung powers up his laptop and transfers travel photos from the past two days. He saves the best ones into a folder, then glances at the camcorder sitting right by him, hesitating. He’d jumped impulsively onto the vlogging bandwagon, since it’s what all the cool travel bloggers do nowadays; but he hadn’t thought how much effort it takes to get the final cut, plus he doesn’t know how to do it. It’s a classic case of dealing with things when it matters, and it hits Soonyoung that it actually matters, right now, but he doesn’t have a clue on how to deal with it. So he stares at his laptop screen for a while, then gets bored, flicking over to YouTube to watch videos on conspiracy theories.

A few hours later, Soonyoung’s still sitting at the desk, propped in front of his laptop, as the bundle of sheets on Jihoon’s bed stirs.

“Morning.” Jihoon sits up in bed; his hair sticking out in all directions. It’s late afternoon, and he feels energized after more than twelve hours of sleep. He’d sleep longer, if his traitorous stomach didn’t growl, asking for nourishment. He throws the covers aside, stretching.

Soonyoung doesn’t reply, clutching his head in his hands. “I have no idea how to edit videos.” He says in a haunted voice. Watching conspiracy theories certainly didn’t help; he has a splitting headache, because he now believes that the Bermuda Triangle is a black hole to Middle Earth (which he is curious about, isn’t it that place with the hobbits?), and he still doesn’t know what to do what to do with the footage in his cameras.

“You’ll figure it out.” Jihoon hops over to his bag, digging for a fresh change of clothes.

“I have two and a half days of footage.”

Jihoon is the least sympathetic person in the room, so he doesn’t say anything, locking himself in the bathroom instead.

Soonyoung lets out a frustrated scream, throwing his hands up.

“Soonie, if you want to shout, do it into your pillow.” Jihoon calls out from the shower. He hears muffled screams from the other room, so he senses that something is troubling his best friend. When he emerges from the bathroom, Soonyoung is faceplanted on his bed, throwing one of his rare silent tantrums. Jihoon takes a deep breath, preparing to console his best friend. He’s not the best at reading emotions, but Soonyoung would listen to him anyway.

“You know, you could’ve googled how to edit videos.” Jihoon walks over to the window, drying his damp blond hair with a towel.

Soonyoung stops screaming into his pillow and looks over at Jihoon. “I can do that?”

Admittedly, Jihoon spends more time on the internet (he learns everything he knows from WikiHow), but he doesn’t believe that Soonyoung doesn’t know the power of Google. Jihoon simply assumes that the thought never crosses Soonyoung’s mind, stopping himself short of slapping Soonyoung’s face with a lettuce.

“Or maybe you could use your connections to find someone who can help.” Jihoon suggests. The whole world is Soonyoung’s oyster, and he probably has befriended a million people by now.

Soonyoung sits up, looking at Jihoon with utter amazement in his eyes. “You’re a genius, Hoonie.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“You really are.”

“Someone give me the Nobel prize.” Jihoon smirks.

“So what do I do with the footage I have?”

“Keep it, until you figure out how to edit videos. Duh.”

Soonyoung smiles. “Thanks, Hoonie.”

“Can we go get food? I’m starving.” Jihoon abruptly changes the topic. Food is love, food is life, food keeps his tummy happy, and a happy tummy equals a happy Jihoon.  

Soonyoung doesn’t have to be asked twice; he immediately starts filming. “Soonie and Hoonie’s LA adventure, day 4: meokbang tour!”

* * *

Jihoon has no idea when and how Soonyoung plans their adventures: does he plan everything out in advance, or does he play it by ear? Armed with a camera, they’d visited a couple of places in the city, trying out Italian cuisine and American barbecue, with some room for dessert. Everything had gone smoothly like a dream: being served numerous dishes without having to worry about the final bill.

Somewhere in the middle of the food tour, Soonyoung begins a heated discussion about the Bermuda Triangle conspiracy he’d learned earlier, though Jihoon doesn’t believe any of it. He tries to convince Soonyoung otherwise, but somehow it turns into a debate about the existence of Bigfoot. By the end of the evening, Soonyoung vows to find (and probably befriend) Bigfoot with a spark of determination, and Jihoon sarcastically tells him to take a selfie with Bigfoot for proof.  

Eventually they make it back to the dorm before they pass out from a food stupor – Jihoon still can’t believe the tremendous amount of delicious food out here in the world. Why was he solely living off ramyeon back in Seoul, when there’s a variety of cuisines to sample in the world?

Jihoon’s lying on his bed, unable to move with a full stomach, while Soonyoung’s on the phone with someone, speaking loudly in English. Jihoon can comprehend a few words, and he thinks he gets the general gist of the conversation - he’s proud of the extent of his English skills. He sighs, and tunes out of Soonyoung’s conversation, taking the chance to thank his lucky stars for this LA trip – though he’d been anxious and doubtful at first, this is the perfect healing trip, letting go of the worries of the world.   

“We’re checking out of this place tomorrow; and moving the party to Malibu!” Soonyoung jumps onto Jihoon’s bed once he hangs up. The sudden movement makes Jihoon’s stomach lurch, and he feels slightly nauseous. Maybe that extra piece of steak at dinner was uncalled for…

 “Right. Cool.” Jihoon looks up at the ceiling, trying to alleviate the nausea. “How many things do you have planned, anyway?”

“Until you leave, I’ll never run out of things to do.”

“Don’t you want to go back to Korea?”

Soonyoung hesitates with his sober response. “I will. Eventually.”

Jihoon knows that Soonyoung has been to most major cities around the globe – once he’s done with his circumnavigation, what is he going to do with his life? That question hangs in the air, Jihoon doesn’t want to ask it because he knows that Soonyoung’s not prepared to answer it.

“Are you going to go back to your job when you return to Seoul?” Soonyoung pipes up.

Jihoon sighs. “It’s all I’ve ever known.”

“But you hate that job, Hoonie.”

“What else can I do?”

Soonyoung chooses his words carefully; he’s treading into uncharted waters. “A little bird once told me, you should do things that make you happy.”

Jihoon doesn’t remember that he was the one who said those words back in high school, and Soonyoung instantly realises this.

“I don’t even know what makes me happy! I don’t even have a hobby; all I do is work and sleep.” Jihoon rolls over, facing the window, away from Soonyoung. He can see the LA skyline twinkling against the dark night sky in the distance. His ears are hot – he doesn’t like being told that he’s wrong, and he’s being pushed into a corner by Soonyoung. He doesn’t want to admit it out loud that he’s miserable at his desk job in Seoul, but he prefers the financial security it provides, however menial. At least, he can still pay his taxes and bills and still have some leftover money to buy ramyeon cups to survive.  Just enough to make it through.

Soonyoung waits a for beat before countering. “Well, you like travelling. You’ve been kind of happy since you arrived in LA.”

“I can’t travel the world like you, Soonie. I don’t have money.”

“You can always join me. I’ll pay for everything, it’s fine, you’re my best friend…”

“You’re avoiding reality, Soonie. You can’t keep travelling forever, spending your parents’ money. Do you think money grows on trees? You won’t know how hard it is to make a dime; you’ve never worked a day in your life. You’ve always had it easy.”  Jihoon sits up, and spits out the truth. There’s a crease between his eyebrows; he’s taking out his frustrations on Soonyoung. Despite being best friends forever, his life is incomparable to Soonyoung’s – it’s surprising that they stayed friends over the years, coming from different backgrounds.

There’s a tense silence in the air – this is their first argument since high school. Soonyoung watches Jihoon get up and walk over to the windows, yanking the curtains wide open so that they’re greeted by the lights from the city, with the Hollywood sign brightly illuminated in the distance.

“What about music?” Soonyoung asks out of nowhere, daring to venture into the grey areas; he thinks that it’s better to point out the elephant in the room rather than skirting around it.

“What?” Jihoon’s still seething, so his brain doesn’t wrap around the sudden change in topic.

“You used to be so interested in music in school.”

Jihoon sighs. “That was years ago.”

His teachers had called him a musical prodigy; he was the leader of the school band (though the tons of responsibility irked him), and could master any instrument he picked up. In middle school, it had always been Jihoon and Soonyoung, but it soon turned into Jihoon, Jihoon’s guitar and Soonyoung -his guitar, gifted by his father, was always slung over his shoulder wherever he went.

“You could still do music, you know.” Soonyoung whispers in a low tone, knowing that he struck a nerve with the mere mention of music - it was like mentioning a bad breakup for Jihoon (and it seems like that in a way).

Jihoon looks contemplative, but there’s still a knot of worry in his warbled mind. “Right now, I just want to enjoy my vacation.”

“Sleep on it, Hoonie.”

“I think I’ll take a walk.” Jihoon’s already heading for the exit.

Soonyoung hesitates – what if Jihoon gets lost in the streets again? – but he knows that Jihoon needs to let some steam off. “Get back soon.” The door slams once the words leave his mouth.

Jihoon thinks that he’ll just lap around the pool area before returning to his room, but he finds himself out on the street under a streetlight, cars whizzing by. His mind is busy weighing the truth behind Soonyoung’s words – it had been correct; how much music had been part of his life.

He missed the way it felt so right when his fingers pressed against the frets of his guitar, producing a harmonious chord. It was the only way Jihoon could express himself creatively; he loved discovering new melodies, and matching lyrics to them. He had a few songs written, all hidden from the world. He doesn’t think he’d remember any of them, but he still recalls the joy and relief when he completed every composition. The feeling of singing his emotions enthralled him – he has an acceptable singing voice, though nothing powerfully spectacular – it’s intriguing, how music evokes emotions, and Jihoon misses that.

Music was nothing but a dim memory of his teenage years. Writing lyrics in his maths notebook isn’t going to pay the bills, he figured in university. So he’d slowly given it up, as his stressed-filled university days bled into each other, marked by the absence of what was dear to him. At first it felt odd to be without his guitar – it had almost been an integral part of his body all throughout high school, but as he grew older, he had other things to worry about, and not having his guitar with him wasn’t one of it. He moved away to the city for university, leaving his trusty guitar to collect dust back at home. He hasn’t touched it in forever; he suddenly misses the feel of the smooth wood, the metal-wound nylon strings against his callused fingers.

Melancholy washes over him, because he’s forgotten the good times he had, wrapped in music. To him, it seems like a whole lifetime away – the only exposure to music he gets nowadays are the elevator jingle in his office building and Soonyoung’s peculiar playlists. Now that he’s started thinking of it again, he longs for the days when he would just plink around on a piano, experimenting for melodies; the unique chord progressions that would blend into a structured song with the right lyrics and the correct beat. 

He remembers packing his little leather-bound composition book in his luggage – he’d become anxious if he left it behind. It’s full of thoughts and notes of the songs he’d written in high school; beyond that, he’d barely written anything in it anymore. Maybe, if he has enough courage, he’d go through the book and begin again. 

Maybe Soonyoung had seen the book tucked under his socks; that’s why he’d brought up music. Being best friends, Soonyoung knows the contents of the book, but even he doesn’t have the privilege to hold it, even peruse it. It’s something dear and personal for him, for his eyes only – all the scribbles of lyrics and crude melodies from his high school years. He regrets leaving music behind, to pursue something that he’s not completely interested in.

The only consolation he has is that he’s making enough to scrape by every month, even if he hates his job.

Jihoon passes by a café, the aromatic combination of coffee beans almost tempting him inside. He’d become less dependent on caffeine since he arrived, realising that he’s less twitchy off it. The scent of baked goods mingles in the air with the coffee, and there’s a faint ring of a guitar chord, followed by a smattering of applause.  

He peeks inside. The ambience of the café is calming, with a notable number of patrons sitting at the tables. There’s an air of anticipation, and Jihoon feels that these people gathered aren’t just only here for a cup of coffee. The barista is wiping glasses behind the counter, when static suddenly rings out throughout the room, shocking everyone, especially Jihoon.

“Oh, sorry about that. Good evening, everyone. I hope you enjoy my set.” Some guy is sitting on a stool on the tiny stage at the back of the room, tapping on the microphone. He smiles at everyone, and strums his guitar.

He starts singing something about rain falling on Sunday morning; his voice smooth and sweet, hitting the right notes, sending shivers down Jihoon’s spine. The singer’s lilting voice fills throughout the tiny café, and Jihoon wants to be up there onstage too; singing his own songs and playing his own guitar.

“It’s an open mic. Wanna have a go?” The barista smirks at him.

Jihoon doesn’t realise that he’d wandered into the café, amidst the other customers, drawn by the music. He’s surprised that someone’s offering him to sing in public, and jumps out of his skin. Embarrassed, he shakes his head and excuses himself, quickly walking back to the hotel.

He feels nervous and fluttery; with too many thoughts in his head.

Could Soonyoung be right for once, and could music be his escape?

Jihoon decides to sleep on it.


	7. m-a-l-i-b-u

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon and Soonyoung go to Malibu.

“Good morning friends!” Soonyoung whispers into the camera. It’s barely nine in the morning, but he’s already up and raring to go. “Soonie and Hoonie’s LA adventure, day…five? Anyway, Hoonie’s still asleep, and I’m going to wake him up!” Soonyoung says excitedly; his eyes crinkling up into tiny little slits.

“Hoonie’s morning call! Challenge, start!”

Soonyoung looks around, thinking how to wake his best friend up. It’s practically a suicide mission, since Jihoon treasures his sleep so much, and wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone who arouses him from his sleep. Of course, Jihoon’s buried under the covers, so Soonyoung can’t begin to figure out exactly where his best friend is. He’s planning to jump on the bed, but if he accidentally steps on Jihoon, it’s a double suicide mission.

“What are you doing?” Jihoon peeks out from under the covers, blinking.

Soonyoung practically jumps in shock, almost dropping the camera – that’s one possibility he didn’t think of: Jihoon waking up. Changing tactics, he whirls over to the curtains and shoves them open, letting in the bright morning sun into the room.

“What a beautiful day!” Soonyoung chirps, and Jihoon hisses at the sudden brightness, squirming back under the sheets. “Hoonie, wake up, wake up, wake up!” Soonyoung leaps onto Jihoon’s bed, and the launch makes him bang his head against the ceiling.

“Serves you right.” Jihoon emerges from his warm haven, tossing the sheets aside, trying to hide a grin at Soonyoung’s misery.  “I’m up already.”

“Ow. That went well.” Soonyoung sits on Jihoon’s bed, rubbing his head.

“That’s exactly why he’s like this. He hit his head too much when he was younger.” Jihoon says into the camera, snatching it away from Soonyoung.

“Well, you always slept like a koala so I didn’t have anyone to play with!” Soonyoung bickers.

Jihoon hands the camera back to Soonyoung. “Did you have breakfast yet?”

Soonyoung looks like a five-year-old kid guilty of stealing candy. “A bag of cookies I found in my backpack.”

“Sugar rush.” Jihoon rolls his eyes and locks himself in the bathroom, as Soonyoung begins talking about the cookies he’d scarfed down earlier into the camera.

The hot shower alerts all Jihoon’s senses, putting yesterday’s worries behind him. It’s a new day, there are new things to do. Why worry about old times, especially the good old times, that shouldn’t even be a worry at all? Jihoon takes a deep breath, letting the warm water soothe his muscles. Showers are the only time he gets for himself; to reflect under the hot water (he does his best thinking in the shower). No one could invade his alone time…

“HOONIE! Hurry up, I gotta take a dump!” Soonyoung bangs on the bathroom door.

Jihoon immediately switches the water off.

* * *

“We are going to Malibu! M-A-L-I-B-U.” Soonyoung sing-songs, clinging to Jihoon as the pair walk into the hotel lobby with their luggage.

Jihoon wants to melt into the lobby floor - with Soonyoung being that loud, of course everyone turns to look at them. Also, now that whole lobby knows that the two Korean kids are heading to Malibu. What if there’s a kidnapper planning to follow them all the way there? Jihoon wouldn’t mind Soonyoung being kidnapped; his parents could probably afford the ransom, besides, spending almost five whole days with his eccentric best friend has drained most of his energy, and truthfully, he’s looking for a break from Soonyoung.

Soonyoung waltzes over to the reception area with the camera to check out and return the room keys, so Jihoon takes a seat in the lounge area. People are still looking at him, like he has a second nose growing on his face. The grandmother clutching a travel magazine sitting across him greets him with a sweet smile, and Jihoon feels embarrassed, looking at the ceiling instead.

The sweet old grandmother waves him over, and Jihoon glances around, making sure that she’s calling him over. Cautiously, Jihoon vacates his seat and moves over, and the old lady starts talking to him in Spanish, which he doesn’t understand at all. Jihoon tries to ask her to speak English, but she doesn’t understand him, so the awkward one-sided Spanish conversation between them continues.

“Oooh, look, Hoonie’s making friends!” Soonyoung grins when he sees the old lady trying to communicate with Jihoon. The grandmother smiles sweetly at Soonyoung, as he tries to make her say hello to the camera. Jihoon’s already semi-panicking, and wraps things up quickly, waving goodbye to the old lady; but she manages to reach over and pinch his cheek before Jihoon can drag Soonyoung away.

“She thinks you’re cute, Hoonie!” Soonyoung laughs, pinching Jihoon’s cheek, as they both walk out of the lobby. Jihoon quickly swats Soonyoung’s hand away, annoyed at the skinship. He hates being labelled cute, though he’s been called that numerous times since elementary school.

The two friends leave the hotel, heading for the parking lot: Jihoon dragging his luggage behind him, while Soonyoung with his huge backpack on his back. Soonyoung goes off on a tangent about cute things such as puppies (also including Jihoon on his list). Jihoon tries to make himself invisible, but Soonyoung forces him into the camera frame, pinching his cheek once again while recalling the earlier episode with the old lady.

“Goodbye hotel!” Soonyoung waves to the building that they’ve been staying in for the past two days, as they roll away from it, instantly entering a traffic jam. Jihoon already knows that it’s going to be a long day, judging from Soonyoung’s dilly-dallying, and the insane number of vehicles on the Los Angeles streets. He switches the music to a soothing selection, and acoustic guitar instrumentals fill in the car, but Soonyoung still talks over it.

“Hoonie, do you know where Malibu is?” Soonyoung opens up the conversation on their travel log for the day.

“Yes.”

“Tell the camera.”

“That old lady told me earlier.”

“You guys were speaking Spanish?” Soonyoung gapes at Jihoon, whirling around to face him. The car suddenly swerves out of the lane, and someone from behind them honks at the reckless driving.

Jihoon’s quick to act, reaching over to correct the position of the steering wheel. “Eyes on the road. Well, she was.”

“Wow. I’ve said it millions of times before, but I’ll say it again. Lee Jihoon is a genius.”

“What am I a genius for this time?”

“Understanding a language that you don’t even speak. Wow.” Soonyoung slow claps, letting go of the steering wheel, and the vehicle slowly drifts astray, almost crashing into a car whizzing past in the adjacent lane.

“Soonie, drive properly.”

Soonyoung quickly grips the steering wheel with both of his hands, in the recommended 10.10 position. “You heard it people. Lee Jihoon is a genius, because he can understand Spanish, and he doesn’t even speak it. Unless you do speak Spanish?”

“I don’t. Anyway, Malibu’s a bit out of Los Angeles.” Jihoon quickly diverts away from the topic back to the original question. He doesn’t speak Spanish, having no use for the language especially in Korea, but he remembers the grandmother repeating the word ‘Malibu’ a few times in their non-conversation earlier. She’d tried to show him where it is on a map folded into the magazine that she was reading. He knows a bit about the beach town from his extensive research (read: browsing) on the internet at work, so he’s not completely in the dark about it. He remembers wishing to visit, seeing the golden sands meeting the blue sea; surfers coolly riding the waves. Oh, and palm trees lining the roads, too – a staple of South California, he notices.

“Malibu’s known for its beaches and surf spots.” Jihoon adds, hoping that Soonyoung would stop acting like a travel show host and focus on the road.

“Ring ding-dong! You’re correct!” Soonyoung says. “So can you guess what we’re gonna do there?”

“Surprise me.” Jihoon leans back into his seat, making himself comfortable.

“Oh wait, I need to set the GPS.” Soonyoung fiddles with the device, one hand on the steering wheel. He almost drives into the oncoming lane, making Jihoon panic even more, because Soonyoung is practically a hazard on wheels. Maybe Soonyoung’s a decent driver when he drives alone, but he gets easily distracted when he has passengers, trying to talk to them and drive at the same time. 

Jihoon figures that if he’s going to die in a car crash, he’d rather do it asleep, so he closes his eyes and braces for the ride ahead.

* * *

It’s late afternoon when the beach town of Malibu greets them with blue skies and golden sands; the smoggy skyline of the city Los Angeles all but left behind. Even with the GPS, Soonyoung still manages to get lost, and they finally arrive at their lodging in Malibu about three hours later. Jihoon blinks his eyes open – he’s glad they’d made the drive in one piece – and stretches when he gets out of the car. Soonyoung hurries to unlock the front door with the key that he’d gotten from the landlord, and Jihoon takes a moment to appreciate his surroundings.

This time, Soonyoung has outdone himself: he’s rented a whole house by the beach. Of course, there’s a palm tree in the front yard, and the back porch meets the beach, which stretches out to the endless blue ocean. It’s a neat two-storeyed structure, painted white, and fully furnished, too, including a polished baby grand piano in the corner of the living room. Jihoon tries not to think how much Soonyoung has spent for this LA trip, and tries to keep his amazement to himself. Jihoon sets his luggage in the hallway; eyeing for another catnap on the plush couch in the living room until dinnertime.

“Soonie and Hoonie’s LA adventure, day five! We are now in Malibu! M-A-L-I-B-U!” Soonyoung’s barely gotten through the front door, his face already pressed up against the camera. “Welcome to our humble Malibu abode!” Soonyoung grabs Jihoon along to explore every room, listing its good points, like he’s a realtor trying to sell the house to a buyer; and the place is anything but humble. There seems to be room after room after room as they go further into the house, each room decorated with a casual and simple style, fit for a life by the beach. Jihoon secretly likes it; he feels that it suits him, but he’s overwhelmed by the vast space – what is there so much for?

“This place is too big for both of us.” Jihoon pronounces. He’s too used to the shoebox he calls his home back in Seoul - hell, even the kitchen is bigger than his apartment. Even the stainless steel fridge is bigger than his closet back home – Jihoon himself could probably fit inside it. Maybe Jihoon could try sticking Soonyoung in the fridge when deemed necessary.

“We could have a barbecue here!” Soonyoung says, barely listening to Jihoon, eyeing the grill in the corner of the back porch.

“Do you have friends out here?”

“Nope, but we’re gonna make some.”  Soonyoung’s optimistic, as always.

Jihoon groans – social interaction isn’t his strongest point.

“Hoonie, if you can talk to that sweet grandmother earlier, you can definitely make friends our own age.”

Jihoon keeps silent. It’s like Mingyu from Human Resources all over again -  that guy’s always trying to make him ‘mingle’.

“Alright!” Soonyoung suddenly claps his hands. “We have things to do. Let’s go!”

Jihoon has learnt to just go with the flow around Soonyoung, so he follows his best friend without question. Soonyoung’s already starting the car engine, so Jihoon has to yell at him to lock up the house before leaving.

“You’re good that those things, Hoonie. I’d never remember to lock up my house.” Soonyoung says, as he reverses the car out of the driveway.

Jihoon bites his tongue before he could come back with a snarky remark: Soonyoung never has to lock up his house; he has servants to do that. Besides, he hasn’t been home in a while anyway, it’s not like he has a house to lock up every time he leaves.

“For the foreseeable future, we’re going to master this activity.” Soonyoung says.

“Ooh. Can’t wait.”

“It’s one of the first things that come to mind when you come to Malibu.”

Jihoon looks out of his window, counting the palm trees that they pass by.

“Take a guess, Hoonie.” Soonyoung prompts after a long beat of silence. Jihoon loses count of the palm trees by the roadside.  

“Mm. Yoga.” Jihoon says carelessly.

“Nope!” Soonyoung laughs. “Let me give you a hint. ‘Like ocean waves.’”

“Hmm. That doesn’t make it any easier.” Jihoon pretends to think about it, though he already has an idea of what they’re going to do; glimpsing surfers riding the late afternoon waves out at sea. “Are we going to be swimming with dolphins?”

“I did that once! But no, not here in Malibu.”

Jihoon keeps quiet, refusing to answer.

Soonyoung, who’s bursting with excitement, can’t help but cut in. “We’re going surfing!”

Jihoon feigns fake surprise and amazement, gasping and clapping his hands.

“It’s the best idea I’ve come up with all year. Surfing with Soonie and Hoonie!” Soonyoung gestures excitedly to the dashboard camera, encouraged by Jihoon’s seemingly enthusiastic response. “Tomorrow will be our very first class with our special instructor, but first, we’ve got to get our surf gear.” As if on perfect timing, Soonyoung pulls up by the beachfront, right in front of a surf shop.

Jihoon prepares himself mentally for the things ahead. Don’t you have to know how to swim if you want to surf? He keeps that question unanswered, slightly worried. If there’s one thing Jihoon’s bad at, it’s swimming, but that bit of knowledge seems to have slipped Soonyoung’s mind when he signed them both up for surfing classes. Jihoon knows that he should tell Soonyoung, but seeing his best friend so thrilled, he’d hate to be a killjoy right there and then. Soonyoung skips over to the surf shop with his handheld camera, urging Jihoon to come quicker so that they can pick out their surf gear.

“Welcome! I’m Jerry. How can I help you today?” A guy pops out from behind the long boards on display at the front of the shop.

“Wow. You really should be a model.” Soonyoung gapes at the shopkeeper. His facial features are prominent, especially his sharp nose, and his playful eyes and chiselled jawline. Soonyoung thinks that the guy could even be an actor; what’s he doing out here in Malibu running a surf shop?

“I am. Part-time hand model.” Jerry strikes his hands into an elaborate pose.

“Pretty hands!” Soonyoung zooms in on Jerry’s hands.

“Thank you.” Jerry grins. “Got them from my Chinese ancestors.”

“Anyway, I’m Soonyoung, and this is Jihoon. We’re novices at surfing.” Soonyoung says. Jihoon hides behind Soonyoung, using his small stature to his advantage, but Soonyoung steps aside so that Jerry can see him. Jihoon waves feebly at Jerry, who enthusiastically waves back.

“We need to get you guys geared up! I need to know how much you know about surfing before we proceed.” Jerry says, smiling at them.

Jihoon shrugs, he knows absolutely nothing about the sport; while Soonyoung starts humming the Hawaii Five-0 theme song.

“Our first class is tomorrow.” Soonyoung adds helpfully.

“Follow me, little ones.” Jerry disappears into the shop, going into business mode. “First off, we’ll get you guys wet suits. I highly recommend them so that you don’t die of hypothermia out there on the waves, though in sunny California that’s highly unlikely.”

“If the expert says so.” Jihoon nods, starting to ruffle through the rack of wetsuits, as Soonyoung starts telling Jerry how he suffered from hypothermia in the Andes mountains when chasing alpacas. Jihoon takes the liberty of choosing Soonyoung’s wetsuit as well – a black and navy one to complement his own black and red pick.

“Ooh, matching suits! Nice one, Hoonie!” Soonyoung grins, and goes off into one of the changing rooms to try it on. 

“Who’s your instructor?” Jerry tries to strike up a conversation with Jihoon.

“Soonyoung knows better. I’m just…here.”

Jerry simply nods. “You’ll enjoy surfing. It’s a good sport.”

“I hope so.” Jihoon swallows nervously.   

Soonyoung makes a fashion show out of his wetsuit, and makes Jihoon do the same. Jerry’s a good sport, letting the both of them goof around in the shop, adding his own bits of lame humour for the camera. Jerry helps them pick out a couple of boards, picking through a variety of boards displayed at the front of the shop. Soonyoung ooh and ahhs over the different designs, while Jihoon prefers function (aka the board that will make him look less embarrassing out there on the waves, if he even makes it that far).

“Long boards are the best for beginners. Might be huge and heavier compared to other types of boards, but they’re easier to control.” Jerry explains, handing a long board to Jihoon. The board towers over him, living up to its name, but despite its huge size, it’s surprisingly light. “It’s made of foam and resin, so it’s lighter than the fibreglass ones. Easy to handle, too.”

“How long have you been surfing?” Soonyoung focuses the camera on Jerry.

“All through high school and college. Did it to impress the girls at first, but I fell in love with surfing instead.” Jerry chuckles. “Try it out on the sand, Jihoon.”

Jihoon lays the board on the ground, and awkwardly stands on it when Jerry prompts him to.

“How does it feel?” Soonyoung prods, the camera trained onto Jihoon.

Jihoon hesitates. “Kinda cool.” He can’t see himself riding the Pacific Ocean yet – he’s just boring old Jihoon - but a surge of adrenaline causes his heart to pump quicker; that rare little thrill he gets when he tries something new.

“It’s perfect for you.” Jerry decides, then picks out another board for Soonyoung, a similar foam longboard, but with a different design. Once satisfied, Soonyoung discusses payments with Jerry, who agrees to keep their boards until they return the next day for their first ever surf lesson.

Jihoon looks out to the sea; the sun would be setting soon as it slips closer to the horizon. Another day, another sunset – he’d never fully appreciated the greatest show on earth before, but now, he marvels at how the sun’s rays paint the sky different hues as it slowly disappears – how the sky turns orange and yellow with hints of rose quartz and serenity. He remembers his new mantra: put yesterday’s worries behind you – soon, this day would end, and he’ll remember the good times, and forget the bad ones.

But Jihoon’s worried for tomorrow: how could a swimming fool like him survive a surfing lesson?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who Jerry is! And heads up - _someone_ is going to appear in the next chapter! ;)


	8. surfers' debut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter stage right: Surfer Seungcheol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's finally decided to join the party.  
> (SURFER CHEOL IS AAAAAAAA)
> 
> disclaimer: i am not a surfer, and I learned everything from WikiHow uwu  
> i apologise in advance if surfing gets too technical!

“The only time that you can see me up this early is right now. Or in Seoul, going to work.” Jihoon complains into the camera. “It’s today’s camera fairy. Jihoon.”

It’s too early in Malibu, and the sun has barely gotten up. The morning breeze is chilly, blowing in from the beach, where the sound of the calming waves meeting the shore almost lulls Jihoon back to sleep as he tries to repress a yawn. It’s a miracle that he even got out of bed, and stuffed himself into his new wetsuit. He’s wearing an oversized sweater and shorts over it, because he feels cold.

“Say it cutely, that’s your charm!” Soonyoung calls out, loading the car with beach essentials. Jihoon doesn’t want to ask where he got the giant inflatable beach ball, which can’t fit into the trunk.

Jihoon shoots Soonyoung a death glare. “It’s too early for that.”

Soonyoung throws the beach ball back into the yard, deciding not to bring it along (not like they’re going to need it, anyway). “Bundle up. Let’s go!”

They’re heading for their first surfing lesson with their unnamed instructor; and Jihoon’s too sleepy to feel nervous. He dozes off during the short ride to the beach front, as Soonyoung drives and talks to himself.

The beach is deserted this early in the morning, save for a few early risers heading to the surf with their boards. Soonyoung quickly rushes out of his car to Jerry’s surf shop on the beach, much like an excited child on Christmas morning; leaving Jihoon in the car, who’s rattled awake by the slam of the car door. 

Jerry greets Soonyoung with a smile, as he opens the surf shop. “You’re early, Soonyoung.”

“Our date’s at 8AM.” Soonyoung says, looking out excitedly to the ocean – there’re already a few hardcore surfers out there, warming up for the surf; and a lone runner with a dog on a leash. The atmosphere increases the sense of anticipation in the air, and the grin on Soonyoung’s face widens.

Jerry drops his keys, smile fading, then looks at his watch.  “It’s only 6AM, dude.”

“Nope, my phone says that it’s 8AM, buddy.” Soonyoung argues, showing his phone to Jerry.

“That’s Central time.” Jerry says, looking at the display on Soonyoung’s phone. “We’re on Pacific Standard Time here, which is two hours later than your clock.”  

“Oh.”

Jerry laughs it off. “No worries. Come, help me out with the boards.” Soonyoung follows Jerry into the shop, chattering non-stop about ocean waves.

Meanwhile in the car, Jihoon stares blankly at the camera he’s holding. “I’m going back to sleep.” He switches the device off to conserve its power, then leans back in his seat for some precious shut-eye. It’s a bit uncomfortable wearing the wetsuit for a different purpose (it keeps giving him a wedgie) but eventually Jihoon falls back asleep, until Soonyoung raps on the window a while later.

“Hoonie, wake up, our instructor’s here!”

“Shut up. Let me sleep.” Jihoon mumbles, turning his back on Soonyoung.

Soonyoung drags the car door open and shakes Jihoon awake. “C’mon, let’s go surfing! I’m so excited!” He practically pulls Jihoon out of the car, so Jihoon has to stumble after him, still half-asleep, dragging his feet on the sand-covered asphalt.

“I swear, if our instructor’s been Jerry all along…” Jihoon mutters, still in his dazed state, thinking about beef steak and jacket potatoes.

Of course, Soonyoung’s not listening, fixating his attention on a different person. “HELLO!” He calls out, loud enough so that his voice reverberates out to sea, waking Jihoon up at the same time. Jihoon can’t really see who Soonyoung is addressing, but he can sense someone else hanging around the back of the jeep that they’re approaching.  

“Uh, hi, guys. I guess you’re Soonyoung?” The stranger looks up amid the surfboards at the back of his jeep. He’s taken by surprise by Soonyoung’s sudden greeting that probably woke up half of Malibu this early in the morning.

“That’s me! And this is my best friend, Hoonie!” Soonyoung shoves Jihoon towards the stranger, and Jihoon almost trips. The tall, brawny stranger instinctively reaches out to catch Jihoon, but he steadies himself before he embarrasses himself in front of his new surf instructor. Of course Soonyoung’s filming, Jihoon realises, with his ubiquitous camera glued to his hand.

“Hey. It’s nice to meet you.” The stranger smiles, and Jihoon finally takes a proper look at him. He has deep brown eyes, framed by impossibly long eyelashes that could probably balance a couple of matchsticks if someone tried. He’s clad in an appropriately tight black wetsuit; his lower half covered by board shorts.

“I’m Seungcheol.” The stranger says, smiling again. “I’ll be your surf instructor until you master the waves,” He adds, and Jihoon swears, he thinks that Seungcheol winked after that last line; or maybe there’s something in his eye. Probably the latter, he convinces himself.

“Wait, so you’re Korean?” Soonyoung blurts out.

“Well, yeah, I’m from Korea. I guess I’m pretty Korean.” Seungcheol musses up his hair, surprised at Soonyoung’s sudden question.

“A pretty Korean, if you please.” Jihoon mumbles to himself, emphasising the adjective; eyeing Seungcheol’s sexily messy hair.

“You don’t look that Korean, haha. What did you say, Hoonie?” Soonyoung remarks, before turning to look at Jihoon.

“Nothing.” Jihoon can feel his ears turning red, as Seungcheol laughs at Soonyoung’s earlier statement.

“We can speak Korean, then!”  

“No problem.” Seungcheol nods, and Soonyoung simply smiles back. No one says anything for a while, the momentary pause filled by the seagulls’ caw as they circle above the sand. “Let’s head to the beach.” Seungcheol breaks the short silence, looking out to the sea. He leads the way, and Jihoon and Soonyoung follow suit.

Jihoon lets Soonyoung walk between Seungcheol and himself; he feels that Seungcheol’s the kind of guy he wouldn’t even try to talk to in real life. Big, brawny, with a gorgeous face. Jihoon has yet to judge the extent of brawniness Seungcheol has, but he’s carrying two surfboards at once; his arm muscles rippling under his wetsuit. Soonyoung’s asking the standard get-to-know questions to Seungcheol, who easily answers them, but Jihoon’s barely paying attention.

“Nice suits, guys. You’ve got your boards?”

“Hoonie picked our suits!” Soonyoung does a little twirl on the sand. Jihoon’s still wearing his sweater over his wetsuit, so Seungcheol must’ve been complimenting Soonyoung only, Jihoon thinks. No big deal. It’s just a suit, who needs to be complimented over wetsuits, surfers wear them all the time – Jihoon’s thoughts are going faster than usual, as if in sync with his tachycardia. He tunes out a bit from the ensuing conversation between the two other guys as he goes through a mental check: rapid heartbeat, shaky and sweaty hands, dry throat. Oh yes, he’s nervous.  

“So you’re friends with Vernon from New York?” Apparently, Soonyoung, with his network of connections, found the surf lessons with Seungcheol from another contact: Vernon, an aspiring rapper from the Big Apple.

“Ah, we’re more like distant relatives.” Seungcheol explains. “I’ll save the family talk for another time.” He laughs, and waves at Jerry, who’s peeking out from his shop.

“So you surf much?”

“A few years, now. I came out to the States for college; did surfing on the side. Now I do lessons for extra pay.”

“Does it pay well?” Soonyoung’s trying to make conversation, but Jihoon thinks he’s being nosy.

“It’s fine. I do it mostly for fun, though.”

“So do you work in real life? Like, do you have a job?”

Seungcheol laughs nervously, and ruffles his messy hair again. “I’m trying to break into the Hollywood scene, but it’s hard for Asian actors. Maybe I’d have better luck if I returned to Korea, but I kind of like it here. So I do a lot of odd jobs here and there, but mostly this surfing gig is enough. I get to do what I like,” Seungcheol says with a smile. He looks over at Jihoon, who’s been quiet. “You okay over there?”

Jihoon responds with an unintelligible sound, trying to stay cordial to Seungcheol, but also still trying to keep himself from strangling Soonyoung because he’s asking more questions than necessary.

“He’s shy in front of strangers.” Soonyoung pulls Jihoon closer, zooming the camera on his face.

Seungcheol stops walking. “I see. Shall we start our lesson?”

“Wait, I gotta do a cut for the camera! Hoonie, you jump in from the other side, and I’ll jump in from here, and then we say, ‘Surfing with Soonie and Hoonie!’ Comprende? Hyung, can you hold the camera? Thanks!” Soonyoung’s a whirlwind of motions, directing Jihoon and throwing the camera at Seungcheol at once.

“That’s pretentious.” Jihoon manages to mumble.

“It’s called variety, Hoonie! Come on, show your fun side, we’re supposed to have fun! We’re at the beach. You love the beach.” Soonyoung bounces on the sand. “Oh, and off with your sweater.” He pulls Jihoon’s sweater off, and tosses it onto the sand.

Jihoon’s aware that Seungcheol’s already poised with the camera, filming everything, so he doesn’t argue anymore and puts on his best smile. Soonyoung makes him rehearse the cut three times, before they film the real thing, but Soonyoung decides on a different direction instead of his original idea. Jihoon easily nods, and seconds the idea; while Seungcheol watches the pair of best friends with a smile on his face, as if finding the whole thing quirky.

“Are we ready for the real cut?” Soonyoung calls out. Seungcheol responds with an enthusiastic yes, while Jihoon merely nods. “All right! Action!”

Seungcheol starts, with his voiceover cameo. “Surfing with…”

“Soonie…” Soonyoung jumps into the frame, smiling so wide that his eyes disappear. 

“And Hoonie!” Jihoon follows suit, grinning like mad.

Jihoon and Soonyoung pose in front of the camera, smiling and waving for a few moments before Soonyoung PD yells cut. The smile on Jihoon’s face quickly dissipates, while Soonyoung hurries over to Seungcheol to replay the cut. There are smiles on their faces as they rewatch the cut on the tiny camera screen, and Jihoon knows that they can proceed with their surfing lesson soon.

“And it’s a wrap!” Soonyoung shouts, clapping his hands.

“Can we start surfing now?” Jihoon asks impatiently.

“Wow, Hoonie’s really looking forward to today’s class.” Soonyoung remarks.

Jihoon thinks otherwise. He just wants the day to be over, so that he can dive back into bed. Even with an instructor like Seungcheol, who he’s sure would be an amazing surfer (having never seen him surf), sleep would prevail.

The best friends retrieve their surfboards from under Jerry’s care, who wishes them good luck; while Seungcheol picks out a sandy spot on the beach for them. He’s sitting next to his two surfboards, waiting for Jihoon and Soonyoung. A fleeting thought passes through Jihoon’s head about how godly Seungcheol looks like, just sitting on the sand. Maybe it’s the lighting that’s just a bit right, the correct angle that gives a glint off the surfer’s dark brown hair. 

“Alright. Welcome to Surfing 101, and I’m your instructor, Seungcheol.” Even the surfer has taken a page out of Soonyoung’s book, and is making a show out of the lesson. Soonyoung grins, still filming; while Jihoon would normally find himself rolling his eyes, this time, he cracks a tiny smile.

“Before you guys can even go out on the waves, we’ve got to master the basics. And we’ll do that here on the shore before I can let you guys ride the waves.” Seungcheol gestures out to the blue sea, where there’s a surfer tackling a relatively huge wave. He runs his hand along the water as he surfs, looking at ease with the world. Jihoon can’t even begin to imagine himself out there as that surfer, but maybe under Seungcheol’s tutelage, that might be possible.

“Surfing is a sport about balance and nature. It was exclusive for Hawaiian royals back in the day, but I guess times have changed, so now everyone can do it.” Seungcheol continues. “I’m not gonna bore you guys with the history of surfing; I’m not too well versed in it anyway.”

“For me, it’s the thrill of riding the waves that drew me in. How you need to achieve the perfect sense of balance with your board, and become one with the wave to ride it all the way.” The surfer looks distant, looking out to the ocean.  

“Wow.” Soonyoung whispers, amazed by Seungcheol’s monologue.

“Right! Enough with my lectures. First off, we’ll practice paddling here on the sand so that you guys get used to it.” Seungcheol goes off to explain the significance of paddling, how it’s used for surfers to navigate their board towards the waves.

“First, attach your foot to your leash.” The surfer then proceeds to lay flat on his stomach on his own long board, then makes a swimming-like motion with his arms. “This is the paddling motion. Simple enough, and it works out your muscles.”

Jihoon nods in understanding, and in appreciation at Seungcheol’s well-defined muscles.

 “Hoonie, try it, I’ll film you.” Soonyoung says, suddenly pointing the camera at Jihoon.

“Why don’t you film him instead? He’s the pro here.” Jihoon counters.

“It’s called ‘Surfing with Soonie and Hoonie.’ Of course you’ve gotta be in the cut.”

Jihoon stares at Soonyoung for a while, then sighs. “Fine.”

“If you need any help, just shout out.” Seungcheol assures.

Jihoon follows Seungcheol’s surf instructions exactly like he did it earlier, though he wonders how he looks like lying flat on his board. He oddly feels conscious about his backside, and he’d never been bothered about it before. Plus, he feels out of place, paddling an immobile surfboard on the hot sand…

“You’re doing well, Jihoon.” Seungcheol encourages.

Soonyoung also chips in. “Looking good, Hoonie.” A cheeky grin creeps onto his face as he zooms onto Jihoon’s backside.

“Don’t film my butt. And don’t even get started on that story.” Jihoon warns sharply, already knowing what his best friend is up to. Soonyoung always tells everyone about how the two of them used to take baths together when they were tiny, courtesy of Jihoon’s grandmother.  

“I have a photo in my wallet.” Soonyoung says, his eyes full of mischief.

Seungcheol notices that Jihoon’s uncomfortable, so he lets Jihoon sit up, which Jihoon does with relief, but not before shooting a glare at Soonyoung. This time, Seungcheol makes Soonyoung try out the paddling move as well, and he does it almost effortlessly.

“We’ll move on to the next part; we’ll practice paddling later. Don’t forget that move. Today’s more like an exposure kind of class so that you have an idea of what to do.” Seungcheol says, once satisfied with his students’ progress.

“Okay, imagine you’re out there on the sea. You’ll be paddling, approaching the wave. And the moment comes when you’re ready to ride it; so from lying on your board, you’ve got to pop up to your feet so that you can surf the wave to the end.” The instructor says, lying flat on his board to demonstrate. In one quick motion, he pushes himself up and picks up a surfing stance, looking professional on his board.

“That looks easy.” Soonyoung comments, and attempts the move. He’s a bit clumsy, being a beginner, and Seungcheol goes over to help him improve his technique.

“You’d fall in the water if you stood that way.” Seungcheol comments at Soonyoung’s odd stance, and shows them both an easier method to pop up onto the board by letting them prop up to their knees first before scrambling to their feet.

The surfer lets Jihoon and Soonyoung practice popping up for a little while until they get the hang of it. For the next hour, Seungcheol teaches the two friends other basic moves of surfing, making them practice on the sand. With Soonyoung’s body gags, the atmosphere becomes lighter, and Jihoon becomes more relaxed as the day progresses, even in Seungcheol’s presence. Eventually, Seungcheol dismisses them for the day, wrapping up with a few comments.

“Soonyoung, I think you’d better wax your board more, you’ve been falling off too many times today. We don’t want that out on the water.” Soonyoung doesn’t tell Seungcheol that he was playing around, but makes a mental note to ask Jerry for more board wax.

“And Jihoon, you have good balance. You’ll do well.” Seungcheol smiles at the smaller man.

“Uh, thanks.”

“So I’ll see you guys tomorrow evening? Bit more practicing on the sand, then we’ll decide when you guys can go out into the water.” Seungcheol says.

Soonyoung bounces enthusiastically in agreement, while Jihoon mutters a quiet yes.

“Good job guys. I’ve got to go, I have errands to run. See you.” Seungcheol grabs both of his surfboards and walks off back to his jeep. Jihoon watches his surf instructor leave as Soonyoung turns the camera onto him.

“How was it, Hoonie?”

“…fun.” 


	9. insecurities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon remembers. Then, he rises.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Bullying, drowning. 
> 
> (don't say I didn't warn ya.)

After the initial surf lesson with Seungcheol, Jihoon sleeps for the rest of the day. Soonyoung, on the other hand, takes the opportunity to gallivant around town in his blue Audi, meeting the locals and seeing the sights. He has fun going around filming, asking the locals random questions, and eating as many hot dogs that he can eat. He’s used to travelling alone, but he feels that it would’ve been even more fun if Jihoon tagged along, but Soonyoung knows that Jihoon needs his sleep so he let it be.

Soonyoung returns with dinner to an empty house. He calls out for Jihoon, who’d probably still be asleep, and drops the food on the kitchen counter, with aromatic smells of Mexican quesadillas emanating throughout the room. The smell of food would definitely lure Jihoon from his slumber, but after tapping on his phone for a few minutes, Soonyoung senses that something’s amiss. He searches the whole house (including under the kitchen sink), only to find the place devoid of his best friend. Soonyoung ventures out to the back porch, calling out for Jihoon, thinking in disbelief that he’s lost Jihoon for the nth time in this trip alone. He spies a silhouette out on the beach, looking out to the late evening sky – it looks cinematic in a way, a lone figure deep in thought, facing the beach, framed by the glorious pre-sunset sky. Soonyoung would’ve scrambled to take a photo, but he swiftly descends the steps of the back porch to get to his best friend.

“Hoonie! What are you doing?”

Jihoon’s standing by the teeth of the water, and to Soonyoung’s little mind, he looks like he’s about to do something stupid, for someone so smart. Jihoon doesn’t answer Soonyoung’s question, turning around slowly to face his best friend. He’s dressed in his usual oversized sweater (just how many does he own, Soonyoung wonders), not like someone who’s ready for the beach.

“Jerry’s surf shop is just over there.” Jihoon points to the familiar wooden structure visible down the beach.

“I know, right!” All the negative thoughts disappear from Soonyoung’s mind, and he grins widely at the obvious statement.

“We could’ve walked!”

“We’ll do that tomorrow…?” Maybe he’s worried about his carbon footprint, Soonyoung thinks. True, it's a bit excessive, to drive to a place that's half a mile away. 

Jihoon turns his back onto Soonyoung, facing the water once again. Soonyoung can’t guess exactly what Jihoon’s thinking, so he tries to pry it out of him.

“What’s new, Scooby Doo?” Soonyoung playfully nudges the smaller blond man. “I have Mexican fooooooood.”

Jihoon doesn’t budge an inch, and sighs.

“You wanna go for a swim?” Soonyoung prods on thoughtlessly. 

“No, Soonie, I can’t swim.”

“Yes, you can. Remember fifth grade?”

Jihoon gives Soonyoung a sour look. “You don’t talk about fifth grade.”

“So I’m not supposed to talk about your baby butt, fifth grade…”

To Jihoon, fifth grade was a bad memory, just because of one incident. It was summer, and they were ten, and had signed up for swimming classes at the local pool. Scrawny Soonyoung bounced on his feet by the pool, as tiny Jihoon tried to hide behind his best friend. Soonyoung had been the one who’d convinced Jihoon’s grandmother that they were in dire need of swimming lessons, though Jihoon had argued that he’d move to the mountains if that’s what he needed to do to avoid them (even back then, baby Jihoon was already very savage).

So it had been five weeks of pure torture - at least to Jihoon - being forced to learn to swim; and the other boys (including Soonyoung) kept splashing water at him when the instructor wasn’t looking. Soonyoung was soon advancing quickly, swimming around the pool like an Olympian, while Jihoon still clutched tightly to his kickboard, reluctant to let go. He was always the last one to get into the pool during practice, after gentle coaxing from his coach and a sharp ‘YAH!’ from his grandmother, he’d slowly take off his T-shirt and descend into the shallow waters, his kickboard tucked neatly under his arm.

In those five weeks, Jihoon had only learned how to tread water. He’d refuse to let go of his kickboard – it was like his lifeline – and the other kids made fun of Jihoon because of it. Soonyoung, who was already a green belt in taekwondo by then, had offered to kick their butts for Jihoon, but Jihoon’s grandmother had found out and foiled that plan, telling Soonyoung off in front of everyone at the pool. When the other kids were off having swimming races with each other at the deep end of the pool, little Jihoon would be stuck with their patient coach, steadily splashing along on his kickboard; with his grandmother by the poolside, keeping an eye on him.

The only time he’d swum across the swimming pool with his kickboard was a great achievement for him. His instructor tried to transition him from a kickboard to a swimming noodle, but it obviously didn’t work. Jihoon felt safer on his trusty blue kickboard. Sure, he’d envied Soonyoung who’d sometimes swim over to encourage him, but he didn’t feel confident without his little kickboard. He seemed fine without it around the shallow end, but wouldn’t venture to the deeper end without it; knowing that his feet couldn’t reach the floor of the swimming pool. It was an irrational fear that no one could comprehend.

One day, Jihoon’s grandmother dropped Jihoon and Soonyoung off at the public pool, promising to come back later after running some errands. Soonyoung rushed off to the toilet for a much-needed pee, so Jihoon, with his ever-present kickboard, ventured out to the pool area. It was still a few minutes before the swimming lesson started, so there were only a few people around.

_“Look who’s alone. Our little Jihoon.” Someone snuck up behind him. Jihoon barely had time to react, when his kickboard was suddenly taken away from him, and his arms were pinned behind him. It was the three kids who’d made fun of him and his kickboard; the jackasses who would cannonball into the deep end even though their coach had explicitly warned them from doing so._

_The ringleader was a scrawny kid with crooked teeth; he was smirking at Jihoon, as if he was in charge. His friends, a pudgy boy and a lanky one, were holding Jihoon captive. Jihoon had never bothered to learn their names before; he’d never even spoke to them. Scrawny Boy twirled Jihoon’s kickboard in his hands, contemplating what to do. Jihoon can’t even struggle; Pudgy Boy had a strong grip – it was like being held by a sweaty sausage._

_“Let me go.” Jihoon gritted his teeth. He felt disgusted by Pudgy Boy, but he was starting to feel scared, because he didn’t know what the three boys wanted. As far as he knew, he’d never done anything towards them._

_Scrawny Boy suddenly motioned for his friends to drag Jihoon to the deep end of the pool. Jihoon tried to put up some resistance, but Lanky Boy flicked his forehead._

_Jihoon mustered up some courage. “Give me back my kickboard.”_

_“You want it? Fetch, boy.” Scrawny Boy threw Jihoon’s blue kickboard into the pool, where it landed smack in the middle of the deep end. “Go get it!” Scrawny Boy pried Jihoon out of Pudgy Boy’s grip, and shoved him into the swimming pool._

_The blue tiles of the swimming pool floor greet Jihoon, and the chlorinated water rushed into his ears and nose. Instinctively, he shut his eyes and mouth tightly, holding his breath. His mind was panicking; he knew that he should keep calm. He remembered how his coach had taught him to tread water, but his limbs wouldn’t respond to his brain, flapping uselessly, moving nowhere. Jihoon didn’t know how deep the deep end of the pool was, and he desperately needed oxygen –_

_Someone grabbed him – a strong arm, protectively wrapped around his torso – but he kept his eyes shut, and let the person guide him. It was his coach, and they broke through the surface of the water, where Jihoon gulped in air (and maybe some pool water, too). Jihoon felt lightheaded, as his coach towed him back to the poolside. He was trembling from the shock, and his coach gently set him down on the warm poolside tiles._

_“Hoonie, are you okay?” Soonyoung rushed over to his best friend. “I’ll kick their butts for you, Grandma isn’t here.” There was a frown on his face; an angry Soonyoung was rare but lethal._

_Jihoon coughed up some pool water. “I’ll be fine.”_

_“Are you sure, Jihoon?” Their swimming coach had genuine concern in his eyes._

_“Yes. I’m just shocked.” Jihoon whispered._

_“Maybe you should take it easy for today.”_

_Jihoon nodded feebly, too distraught to think about anything else._

_The older man glanced at the three sheepish boys standing nearby who’d tormented little Jihoon. “I’m not letting those three boys off.”  He handed Jihoon’s blue kickboard back to its rightful owner. “Here’s your kickboard.”_

_The coach nodded at him and left to reprimand the three bullies. Soonyoung plopped down next to Jihoon, keeping him company for the next hour as the class went on. Jihoon noted that the coach was being stricter to the three bullies, making them swim extra laps around the pool._

_“I’m sorry that you can’t swim today, Soonie.”_

_“No, I’m sorry that they did that to you.”_

_Jihoon didn’t reply, looking down at the blue kickboard in his lap._

_“You know what? Let’s quit. You hate this class, and I hate those idiots.” Soonyoung declared._

Jihoon ended up on the school’s baseball team as a catcher, where he was remarkably respected; while Soonyoung rose as a taekwondo athlete. Soon music and dance entered their lives, and no mention of swimming ever arose between the two friends. Up until now.

Soonyoung breaks into Jihoon’s thoughts, bringing him back to the present. “Hoonie, stop dwelling on the negative things. We had fun in fifth grade too, remember?”

“Kinda.” Jihoon shrugs. He still remembers that episode; though the details have gotten hazy over the years.  

“The snacks from the school canteen were the best.” Soonyoung reminisces. “And speaking about food, I have fooooood.” He inches back to the house, expecting Jihoon to follow him.

However, Jihoon stays rooted to his spot. “But still I can’t swim.”

Soonyoung sighs internally, he’d thought the matter has been solved. “Your point is…?”

“I can’t surf if I can’t swim.”

“Isn’t the whole point of surfing staying on your board? Besides, Seungcheol-hyung said it himself; you have good balance, you won’t fall into the water.” Soonyoung reasons.

“Mmm.” Jihoon feels warm all over at the mere mention of Seungcheol’s name. He looks out to sea, where there’s a lone surfer tackling a wave. The surfer rushes his movements and immediately wipes out, disappearing underwater. Jihoon’s heart rate increases, witnessing the wipeout, remembering his bitter childhood experience.

“And you’ll have your foot leash, so it’ll be secure. You won’t wipe out.” Soonyoung adds. “I’ll be looking out for you, and I know Seungcheol-hyung will too, so don’t worry too much about it. We’re here to have fun!”

Jihoon’s deep in thought, weighing Soonyoung’s words. On one hand, he's really good at persuading, but he does have a point...

“Come on, Hoonie, I’m starving.” Soonyoung whines, pulling on Jihoon’s sweater sleeve.  

Jihoon feels slightly reassured, though there’s still some worry tugging at his heart. He exhales deeply and tells himself to focus on the good things in life. He’s here on holiday for an undisclosed period of time, so he might as well enjoy himself. Food has never disappointed him, for one.

“What kind of food did you bring back?”

* * *

The pitter-patter of muffled steps trudge up Jerry’s surf shop. It’s still quite early, though Jerry’s shop is already open to cater for the regulars, he’s not expecting anyone to show up. It’s a mild, cloudy, morning – rare in sunny Malibu – and the water’s choppy, so there’s no one out there on the waves. The only beach goers are the few fitness freaks completing their 10k this early, panting on the sand, under the cawing seagulls above. Jerry figures it’s going to be a slow day, but hey, he prefers slow days rather than those random ones where a surge of tourists would bust into his little shop, demanding to master surfing in a day. That’s impossible. Jerry dislikes them.

“Morning.”

Jerry’s looking at his reflection in a handheld mirror. “Oh!” He’s startled at Jihoon’s presence, and almost drops his mirror. “Morning, dude. Where’s Soonyoung?”

“Still sleeping.” Jihoon notices Jerry trying to subtly hide his mirror behind the counter.

“I thought your surf lesson’s later in the evening?”

“That’s right.”

Silence.

“So how can I help you today?” Jerry can’t figure out what Jihoon wants exactly this early in the morning – he’s even dressed in a white sweater, its sleeves swallowing his hands. Not beach-ready.

“I’d like to practice on my board, please.” Jihoon requests -  Jerry’s agreed to keep both his and Soonyoung’s boards in his tiny shop for their undisclosed duration of rental (and Jihoon doesn’t want to know how much it’ll cost; and just how long does it take for someone to learn how to surf?). 

“Want some company, dude?”

“It’s fine. I’ll only be on the sand, anyway."

“Aye. Hang on, I’ll get your board.” Jerry scrambles to the back to retrieve Jihoon’s rented longboard.

Jihoon looks around Jerry’s humble surf shop, examining the little trinkets displayed on the counter. There’s a little Hawaiian doll that sways its hips at the touch, as if dancing the hula. Jihoon makes it swing a little more than necessary, and grins to himself. The little things always make him smile.

“How was your class yesterday?” Jerry returns with Jihoon’s board, trying to make conversation.

“I still need to practice more. If you’ll excuse me…” Jihoon’s sharp and curt with his response. Jerry’s slightly taken aback at Jihoon’s answer, as Jihoon heaves his longboard out of Jerry’s shop, careful not to knock anything over.

“Wait! You’ll need some wax.” Jerry calls out, throwing him some board wax. Jihoon manages to catch it with his free hand and nods in appreciation at Jerry. He’s already out of the shop when Jerry calls out for him once again.

“Oh, and Jihoon, have fun. That’s what surfing is all about.” Jerry grins as Jihoon stalks out of the shop, then he picks up his little mirror behind the counter, admiring his own beauty.

Jihoon spends the rest of the morning practicing his newly-learnt surfing moves behind Jerry’s shop. Once in a while, Jerry checks on him, bringing some water so that he doesn’t die of dehydration; and also offers a few tips for Jihoon, who takes them graciously. He’s going to ace this whole surfing thing – can you imagine Lee Jihoon coolly riding the blue, blue waves of the Pacific Ocean, with Seungcheol and Soonyoung cheering for him from the shore? He’d be the only surfer who doesn’t wipe out, ever.

When Jihoon and Soonyoung were kids, Soonyoung would randomly yell, “The floor is lava!” and the two of them would hop onto any piece of furniture to avoid the imaginary lava on the ground. Well, this time, the water would be the ‘lava’, and Jihoon’s determined to avoid falling into it.

Jihoon’s practicing his pop-ups – the sun has finally shown itself, making Jihoon ditch his sweater, only wearing a ratty old T-shirt – when Soonyoung appears behind him.

“Hey, Hoonie. What are you doing?” Soonyoung asks the obvious.

Jihoon, who’s halfway popping up on his board, almost loses his balance, stumbling onto the sand. If he’d been on the water, it would’ve been a wipeout. “What do you think I’m doing?”

“Practicing surfing,” Soonyoung replies, stretching nonchalantly.

“Nope, I’m just tumbling onto the sand. It’s fun, you should try it.” Jihoon retorts sarcastically.  

“Maybe next time. Anyway. I’m gonna ask Jerry if he can fix waterproof cameras onto our boards. Imagine how cool it’ll be, filming you surfing!” Soonyoung smiles.

Jihoon brushes sand off his shorts, disregarding Soonyoung’s statement. He’s all but forgotten Soonyoung’s ambitious vlogs – of which, the almost week-long amount of footage is eating all his storage, still unedited.

“I was watching you earlier, and you looked cool, buddy. Maybe Seungcheol-hyung would let you in the water today.” The older between the two remarks.

Jihoon shrugs it off. “I don’t think I’ll be in the water that soon.”

“What time’s our class again?”

Jihoon reminds him. “How’s the vlog coming along?” He catches Soonyoung off guard, who starts squirming.

“It’s all going fine!” Soonyoung replies in a high-pitched tone, then rushes off into Jerry’s shop. The blond snorts at his best friend’s behaviour, knowing that it’s not ‘all going fine’. He knows that Soonyoung would probably solve it eventually; so he goes back to practicing his pop-ups – he’s getting the hang of it. But he won’t stop until he’s perfected his technique: Lee Jihoon is going to be the surfer who’s never wiped out.


	10. surfing 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon gets a one-on-one surfing lesson from Seungcheol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love surfer!cheol.

Jihoon practices the whole morning, losing track of time until Jerry calls him over for an awkward lunch of Chinese takeaway. He leaves his board with Jerry, then returns to the house for an afternoon nap; his muscles aching after all the practice he did in the morning. Miraculously, he wakes up just in time for his surf lesson with Seungcheol, so he glues his wetsuit on, pulls a shirt over it and leaves the house. For once, he’s prepared for this lesson, and he’s looking forward to see Seungcheol once again and show off his polished skills. With every step to the beach, his heart’s pounding.

Jihoon spies Seungcheol’s jeep parked by the roadside near Jerry’s shop, but he’s nowhere to be seen.

Jerry’s busy with a couple of customers inside his shop, so Jihoon can’t bother him. Jihoon loiters outside the shop, wondering whether he should get his board that’s kept in the storage room, but decides to dawdle around instead. He remembers hasn’t seen Soonyoung since that morning. Jihoon hopes that his best friend hasn’t gotten into trouble somewhere, and would appear soon.

“Hey!” Seungcheol calls out, emerging from the water like Poseidon. His wetsuit clings to his body; sea water dripping off the tips of his hair, which is pushed back to reveal his forehead. He jogs over to Jihoon, board tucked under his arm; and greets Jihoon with a charming smile. “You’re early today.” He sticks his board upright into the sand – it’s a funboard, much smaller that the longboard Jihoon uses, yet harder to handle. Definitely a pro surfer, Jihoon notes.

“Where’s Soonyoung?” The surfer asks, noticing the vlogpacker’s absence.

Jihoon simply shrugs, then mutters something about getting his board from Jerry. He doesn’t wait for Seungcheol’s response, walking away as fast as his legs can carry him.

There are humans, and there are humans who resemble Greek gods. Seungcheol is one of those who fall into in the latter.

Jihoon feels like his tongue is disconnected from his brain whenever he’s around Seungcheol; and he really doesn’t want to say the wrong thing in front of the surfer – he needs Soonyoung around to mediate social interaction! But his best friend is nowhere to be seen, and besides, Soonyoung would probably just ruin everything.

Jerry’s still talking to his customers, introducing them to boogie boards, when Jihoon bursts in. He easily waves Jihoon to the back room, where his board is propped up next to Soonyoung’s. His best friend is nowhere to be seen, and Jihoon figures that Soonyoung can handle his own board if he ever turns up. He hauls his surfboard out of Jerry’s shop, almost knocking Jerry’s head, half-hurrying because even though he’s almost dreading to see Seungcheol again, but he wouldn’t want to keep him waiting.

Jerry calls out a quick good luck as he exits the little shack, and Jihoon knows he’ll definitely need it today.

Seungcheol’s sitting on the sand, looking out to the ocean longingly, as if wanting to catch another wave. There are a few guys out there, having the time of their lives surfing. Someone wipes out, and his friends holler. Jihoon shudders, then takes a deep breath as he approaches Seungcheol.

“Hey.” Jihoon mumbles, unsure if he should take a seat next to his instructor, so he stands awkwardly with his board looming beside him.

“Hey!” Another godly smile from Seungcheol, this time with dimples. “Water’s good out there; I caught a few good ones. It still looks promising, though.” He glances out to the sea.

“Then go surf. I’ll wait here.” Jihoon’s words are rushed, and his palms are getting clammy.

“Nahhh. Your lesson’s supposed to start now. Can’t have me going off to surf while you sit around doing nothing.” Seungcheol laughs, and Jihoon relaxes slightly – the surfer’s presence is oddly daunting, yet it gives him warm tingles, making him feel all kinds of things. Seungcheol’s friendly personality eases him – even if he’d just known the surfer for about one day, it seems like they’d known each other forever; and conversations come easily.

“I can practice my pop-ups.” Jihoon almost proudly puffs out his chest, remembering all the practice he did that morning. “Go surf.”

“Are you chasing me away?” There’s a playful tone in Seungcheol’s voice. “Don’t tempt me with the waves. Maybe I could catch one while we wait for Soonyoung?”

Jihoon half-wishes that Soonyoung was there with his camera, so that he’d film Seungcheol out on the water, surfing a wave – Jihoon needs it for research purposes; but he doesn’t really need his best friend there, especially with his exuberant energy, only his camera.

He thought too soon.

“HOONIE!”

“Hurricane, in three, two… one.” Jihoon counts down.

“Am I late?” Soonyoung’s just arrived from somewhere in his blue Audi, which is parked right next to Seungcheol’s jeep. He’s stylishly dressed in street wear, reminding Jihoon of his old high school dancer days. He hurries to meet Jihoon and Seungcheol on the beach; sneakers sinking into the sand.

“We’ve barely started. It’s fine, man.” Seungcheol shrugs, getting up to his feet.

Soonyoung turns to Jihoon with stars in his eyes. “Well, I’ve got reaaaaaally good news - I’ve got an offer to dance at Bobby’s class!”

Seungcheol’s jaw drops in disbelief at Soonyoung’s news, and starts congratulating him; while Jihoon looks back and forth between them, like he’s missing out on something.

“Who’s Bobby?”

Soonyoung sighs, as if Jihoon’s a cretin. “Only Bobby G. THE Bobby G. You don’t know him?”

“He’s like the biggest dancer in all of LA.” Even Seungcheol’s starstruck. “Apparently, it’s really hard to get into one of Bobby G’s classes.”

“He has like a million YouTube subscribers, and he does this really cool type of modern interpretive street dance. You’d like his covers, Hoonie. I think I showed you some in high school.” Soonyoung explains breathlessly.

“Good for you, then, Soonie. Are you going to surf with us today?”

Soonyoung guiltily looks down to the ground. “That’s the thing. His class is tonight, and it’s all the way in LA so I have to go there and maybe I won’t be home tonight because he always has his legendary midnight dance parties…”

Jihoon processes Soonyoung’s words. “So you’re saying that you’re ditching surfing for a dance class.”

“Please, please, please, please, please…” Soonyoung drops to his knees and starts begging, clutching Jihoon’s shirt for added effect. “You know it’s my dream to dance with Bobby G, please, please, please, please…”

“Don’t ask me, ask your instructor if you can skip class.” Jihoon nods towards Seungcheol.

“It’s Bobby G! You’ve got to go!” Seungcheol encourages him excitedly, and Jihoon protests with a big ‘NO!’ in his head. Teachers aren’t supposed to let their students skip class!

“Hyung! Thank you!” Soonyoung reaches out for a hug, but hesitates halfway, realising that Seungcheol’s wet all over, so he gives him a fist bump instead. “Hoonie, please, please, please, please, please…” He starts begging shamelessly again at Jihoon, who knows that he’s got no choice but to let Soonyoung join the dance class.

“Go.”

Soonyoung squishes Jihoon into a tight hug once the word leaves his mouth, letting out a squee. Jihoon doesn’t hug back (he never does), letting his arms flap around uselessly at his sides, hoping that Soonyoung won’t squish him to death.

“Got to go! See you guys! Have fun surfing! Bye…” Soonyoung disappears as swift as he’d appeared. The sound of the ocean waves crashing against the shore fills in the silence as Soonyoung’s Audi roars off into the distance.

“So,” Seungcheol stares at the void Soonyoung left. “that leaves you and me.”

Jihoon swallows nervously, realising the weight of the situation. Just him, and Seungcheol, like he wanted. “Y-yeah.”

“We’ll practice a bit more on the sand today,” Seungcheol says, officially starting the lesson, and Jihoon lays his board on the ground.

For the next hour, Seungcheol watches Jihoon practice his beginner pop-ups – up on his knee, before up on his feet – then lets Jihoon try out the standard pop up, which Jihoon struggles with a bit, due to the amount of strength needed to get to his feet from a lying position. He stumbles onto the sand quite a few times, losing his balance, and beats himself up internally for it.

Remember, the water is lava. 

Seungcheol reassures that it’s fine, since it’s only his second day of surfing, but Jihoon doesn’t relent, pushing on, making sure to keep his balance once he’s on his feet. He throws himself into perfecting his technique; nothing can distract him today, especially by that hunk who claims to be his surfing instructor.

Of course, seasoned surfer Seungcheol doesn’t hesitate to correct his little mistakes.

“Keep your knees bent and torso forward for balance. It’s a bit like snowboarding and skateboarding, just the ground is different.” Seungcheol explains. “Arms loose.” The older man reaches out and loosens Jihoon’s stiff arms. “Relax.”

How could Jihoon relax when this demi-god is standing too close to him – practically breathing down his neck? Talk about invasion of personal space. Not that Jihoon minds too much - all in the name of learning how to surf.  

Initially, Jihoon stands with his feet wide apart, one in front of the other – that’s the law of physics, the greater your base area, the more stable you are – but Seungcheol tells him that his stance makes it harder to control when on the water.

“Remember, balance is from side-to-side, not front-to-back.” Seungcheol says, demonstrating on his own board. Jihoon notices that the older is standing with his feet closer apart, not spread across the length of his board like himself.  “You’re not a gymnast, Jihoon, you don’t need to do splits when you’re surfing.” Jihoon copies Seungcheol’s stance, finding it odd at first, but Seungcheol tells him that it’ll all make sense when he’s on the water.

Truth be told, Jihoon’s quite looking forward to test his skills out on the water, but he’s also scared that he might fall into it, given his mediocre swimming skills.

“At the rate you’re improving, I think you can get into the water soon.” Seungcheol smiles, proud of his student. “Maybe I’ll teach you something new.” The surfer sits on the ground, and Jihoon follows suit, sitting a notable distance away, facing the ocean. Seungcheol casually scoots over closer, and Jihoon turns rigid.

“If you wipe out…” Seungcheol starts, but he’s immediately interrupted by Jihoon.

“I won’t.” Jihoon doesn’t mean to say it in a sharp tone, but it comes out that way. Those two words won’t be in his dictionary – Lee Jihoon will not be synonymous with ‘wiping out’.

Seungcheol blinks at Jihoon. “Everyone wipes out. Even the pro surfers. I do it all the time. I had a couple earlier.”  

“Well, not me.” Jihoon’s confident.

“If you say so, but I’m still going to tell you what’s going to happen.”

“Fine.” Jihoon tries not to roll his eyes.

“If you wipe out, keep calm. Your board would be floating on the surface of the water, so use that advantage to figure out your orientation, because you might be upside down. Then you swim to the surface,” – Jihoon shudders at the word ‘swim’ – “get on your board and get out of the way before a wave approaches.”

Jihoon hears all the words, but he can’t begin to imagine what exactly Seungcheol is talking about. Both Seungcheol and Soonyoung had said it: he has good balance, so why would he wipe out? You’d have to be really clumsy, he thinks, and Jihoon is anything but clumsy. 

“I think that it’ll be easier to understand when you’re out there, but I hope you got a basic idea.” Seungcheol says. “There are lots more possibilities, but I guess we can learn over time.”

No one says anything for a while as they both watch a surfer ride out a wave.

“Hey, dudes.” Jerry calls out. He’s clad in a wetsuit himself, armed with his own surfboard, walking to the ocean.  

“Water’s good, man.” Seungcheol waves at him. Jerry responds with a smile, and continues to jog down to the teeth of the water, surveying the surroundings, before splashing off into the water. Seungcheol starts narrating Jerry’s movements, as he paddles towards the open sea. Seungcheol’s voice is simply calming, and Jihoon feels like he’s watching a documentary about surfing.

Jerry powers on through, slicing through the water. When he’s ready, he picks out a wave and paddles quickly to match the momentum of the wave; then pops up to his feet to surf the wave. Seungcheol walks Jihoon through Jerry’s movements, pointing out each crucial move and adding little tips and tricks.

“So that’s basically how you surf.” Seungcheol concludes, as Jerry rides the wave to the end flawlessly, barely touching the water.  

Jihoon nods, aspiring to surf like how Jerry did. “Soonie would’ve liked that bit.”

“Which part?”

“When you narrated the whole thing. He’d like it for his vlog.” Jihoon could just imagine Soonyoung excitedly filming, breathing a bit too loud so that the camera microphone picks it up.

Seungcheol grins. “Your friend - he’s ambitious.”

“Tell him that.” Jihoon snorts, looking out to the ocean.

“So. You ready to test the waters?”

Jihoon chokes on his own spit at the sudden question. “N-now?”

“I don’t see why not. Besides, I think that you should find your sweet spot.”

_Sweet spot_.

“You’re not scared of the water, are you?” Seungcheol glances at him.

Jihoon snorts. “Me? Hell no.” His heartbeat quickens when Seungcheol stands up and grabs his own surfboard.

“It’ll be pretty easy. Just paddle around, so that you feel comfortable on your board.”

Jihoon’s not one to back down from a challenge, so he picks up his own board and heads purposefully towards the ocean, only to hesitate where the sand meets the water. Seungcheol wades straight in, and motions for him to come along. Jihoon looks down at his toes, which sink into the sand as waves lap away from the shore almost rhythmically. He hasn’t gotten near a body of water for as long as he can remember. He tries to snuff all the bad memories from his mind – it’s a new experience, surfing, so he should associate good things with it. His instructor is already one good thing, so he shouldn’t mar the whole experience because of some childhood trauma.

“Be a man, Jihoon, and grow up,” he tells himself.

“You coming?” Seungcheol looks back at Jihoon; he’s already knee-deep in the water.

“Ah, it’s been a while.” Jihoon replies, and takes a step forward.

His very first venture into the ocean.


	11. party people

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon makes a new friend at a party.  
> Party shenanigans ensue.

Jihoon’s at a party.

Not a company party, where there’s muted talk between suits over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. He’s at one of those parties that movies always show: loud EDM, dim lights, lots of cheese snacks and red beer cups, one of which he’s holding right now. He’s sitting on a ratty old couch, so old that the springs are poking into his backside. He has the biggest headache this side of the West Coast, and his body is aching all over, courtesy of the surf lesson he attended earlier.

Seungcheol had made him practice his paddling on the water, ‘to find his sweet spot on the board’. Jihoon hadn’t dared to venture too deep into the sea, feeling more suffocated with each step. Seungcheol had gone knee-deep into the water - which was almost about waist-deep for Jihoon, who’s much smaller than him -  but Jihoon had stopped closer to the shore, in the white water, where the waves have broken and the water is flat; where the water stopped midway at his calves instead.

Paddling’s basically swimming on the water, lying down on a surfboard. Jihoon felt awkward at first, but once he got comfortable, once he found his ‘sweet spot’, he’d paddled around like he’d never before, his fingertips brushing the sandy ocean floor; taking extra caution to not fall into the shallow water, with Seungcheol keeping an eye on him.

It had been fun, but it’s tiring. As an office worker, Jihoon’s not accustomed to putting so much strain to his arms. He almost can’t feel his fingers; and wonders how he’s still gripping onto his cup. In retrospect, he should’ve had stayed home tonight to curl up in bed and rest – he’s not having the time of his life here, anyway. The loud music’s not doing any wonders to his head; it’s even thumping like mad, almost in sync with the heavy bass beats.

“Since Soonyoung’s not around tonight, maybe you wanna hang out? Jerry and I are going to a party.” Seungcheol suggested, as the two of them walked back to Seungcheol’s jeep once the surfer had called the class over.

Jihoon had said yes without thinking. If it had been Soonyoung, he would’ve thrown a few excuses and a punch before Soonyoung could coax an affirmative response out of him. Jihoon's not a party person; he'd rather stay at home, but he'd never pass up the chance to spend some more time with his hot surf instructor. 

So Seungcheol had excitedly laid out the plans for the evening, even picking Jihoon up at his rented house after dinnertime; with Jerry grinning at him from the backseat as he rode shotgun.

Seungcheol had introduced Jihoon to the owner of house, who’d swept Seungcheol away in a whirlwind of ‘bros’ and fistbumps, leaving Jihoon with Jerry, yelling something about the wifi. The two of them promptly went in search of snacks, but Jerry kept getting stopped by people with their surfer lingo that Jihoon doesn’t understand.

Jihoon managed to make his way to the kitchen, where he found lots of cheese balls and beer. He grabbed a handful of cheese balls, and someone pressed a cup of beer into his hand. He’d been aiming for the fruit punch, really, but he’s too polite to refuse the drink, so he holds onto it. Jihoon noted down the wifi password scrawled onto the little magnetic whiteboard onto the fridge, just in case he gets bored later so that he can surf the internet. The kitchen’s getting crowded with new people coming in, greeting each other loudly, so Jihoon went in search for a quiet corner to nurse his cup of beer and his growing headache, finding solace in a recycled couch right next to a potted plant in the corner of the den.

He has no idea how long’s he been sitting there, refusing to move at all, even when a hormone-fuelled couple crashes onto the other end of the couch, making out. Jihoon can’t even get some shut-eye; the house has a formidable sound system, there’s even a speaker above his head that keeps pumping loud, steady beats, but no one’s dancing. At first, Jihoon tries to distract himself by mentally dissecting the musical structure of the songs coming out of the speakers, but it adds to his headache, and now there’s nothing else he wants but to head home.

Part of him hates Seungcheol and Jerry for leaving him alone in a stranger’s house, and the other part of him doesn’t care and just craves for sleep.

Which brings him back to his current predicament. He’s at a party, sitting on the most uncomfortable couch in the whole world, holding a cup full of beer as his body aches all over.

Joy.

A tall, lanky guy in a hoodie and round spectacles approaches the couch and sits next to Jihoon, warily eyeing the couple exchanging saliva at the end of the couch. He looks like an Asian Harry Potter in his emo years, Jihoon thinks, wondering if the guy’s glasses are real or just a fashion statement.

“Are you gonna drink that?” Hoodie Guy asks, pointing at Jihoon’s cup.

Jihoon looks down at his hands. “Uh. Yeah.”

“I was gonna throw it at those two so that they leave.”

“Get a room, you two. Ugh.” Jihoon cracks a tiny smile. He likes this guy’s sarcasm – it’s just his brand of humour.

“You look too young to be at these kinds of parties, kid.”

It’s one thing to call Jihoon cute, but it’s another story when he gets mistaken for a child. Both tick him off; but this time, Jihoon’s headache hurts too much for him to go on a full-blown rage against his new acquaintance.

Jihoon still snaps, anyway. “For your information, I’m twenty-something, and a qualified accountant at one of the biggest companies in Seoul!” He says in an irritated tone, gripping his cup tighter that some of the contents slosh onto his jeans. 

“Good for you, Hot-shot. How’d you end up here, anyway?” Hoodie Guy’s unperturbed at Jihoon’s outburst, watching the couple tangle onto the floor in an X-rated manner.

“Long story.” Jihoon replies vaguely, looking at the ceiling.

“Too bad.” Hoodie Guy seems uninterested, anyway. He slips a strawberry lollipop out of his jeans pocket, pulls the wrapper off and sticks the candy into his mouth. No one says anything for a while, and Hoodie Guy starts flicking through his phone with a bored expression.

“You know anyone at this party?” Jihoon asks quietly.

“A few, here and there. Not really my crowd, though. You?”

“A couple of friends brought me here.” Jihoon presses a finger to his forehead; his headache’s getting worse.

Hoodie Guy smirks at Jihoon. “It’s different from a company meeting, eh, Mr Hot-shot from Seoul.”

“Stop calling me that. My name’s Jihoon.”

“Wonwoo.”

“Korean?” Jihoon’s surprised at the number of Koreans he’d met throughout this trip (hint: two).

“Well, last time I checked, it’s in my DNA, so, yeah.”

Jihoon relaxes slightly, knowing that there’s a fellow Korean by his side. The two of them fall silent again, with the music throbbing around them. At least the couple writhing on the floor have left, stumbling off elsewhere to resume their make-out session and beyond. 

“So what do you do for a living?” Jihoon asks out of curiosity. Well, the guy already knows his job, so why not ask him too? He’s not much for small talk, but he finds that conversation takes his mind off his headache.

“I’m a video editor.” Wonwoo replies.  

The words _video_ and _edit_ clicks in Jihoon’s mind. He thinks quickly and swallows his pride – he’s not used to asking help directly from other people. “This might come out of nowhere, but my friend needs to edit some footage and he has absolutely no idea how to do it.”

Wonwoo interrupts him, as if knowing where Jihoon is going with his request. “I’m not a lawyer, I don’t do things pro bono.”

Jihoon doesn’t point out the fact that non-lawyers don’t use the term _pro bono_. “Could you help him, still?”

Wonwoo keeps quiet, enjoying his lollipop. Come to think of it, this guy’s a bit shady, wearing a hoodie, sucking on a strawberry lollipop at a party that seems more like a surfer convention crossed with a riot. Wonwoo’s phone suddenly goes off, and the lanky man answers the call in a low voice. Jihoon plays with the hem of his shirt idly, wondering whether his request was too sudden.

After speaking on his phone for a while, Wonwoo steps up and fishes his wallet out of his pocket. “Hey, here’s my business card. Gimme a call if your friend needs help.” He hands Jihoon a professionally printed card bearing his contact details; and before Jihoon can utter a word of appreciation, Wonwoo disappears.

Alone again, in a crowd of people.

Jihoon puts Wonwoo’s card into his pocket, pretends to sip his drink, and stares at the carpet. He wonders how long he can survive sitting on this couch, hoping that Seungcheol or Jerry (preferably Seungcheol) would turn up, and he could leave. His headache’s not helping, of course. Maybe he could nap for a while, since he’s the only one sitting on the couch now, but wouldn’t that be rude party etiquette? What do people do at these kinds of parties, anyway?

(Jihoon figures that Mingyu from Human Resources would know what to do under these circumstances.)

“Hey!” Jerry appears from nowhere, plopping right next to Jihoon, who’s about to open YouTube, hoping to find cure and solace in the form of food videos. “Had to say hi to a few people. Sorry for leaving you.”

Jihoon shrugs, slipping his phone back into his pocket, and tries to look nonchalant. He’s been holding the red cup in his hands for so long now that it’s almost like an extension of his body. It’s still full of beer like when he received in from that stranger in the kitchen hours ago.

“Have a drink, man. Let loose, you’re at a party. You’re so uptight.” Jerry takes a swig from his own red cup.

Jihoon does, partly offended at being called uptight, and almost spits the drink out – it tastes like rat’s pee. He hasn’t gone drinking in a while, and when he does, he always avoids beer. Jihoon tries again - this time, slowly – and is surprised to find his headache subside.

Jerry’s talking about random people in the room – he does seem to know everyone – as Jihoon slowly finishes his cup of beer. As if by magic, Jerry produces an unlabelled bottle out of nowhere and refills Jihoon’s empty cup. Jihoon doesn’t stop him, downing the drink in one gulp, almost savouring the burn down his throat. It’s stronger than the beer, and Jihoon relishes the feel of the alcohol circulating through his bloodstream.

One cup leads to another, and Jihoon’s headache slowly goes away, though his thoughts become fuzzier.

“So tell me about yourself. I think I’ve told you everything about everyone in this room.” Jerry prompts, nudging Jihoon’s arm.

Jihoon barely registers the question, so Jerry asks him again. With a lopsided smile on his face, he starts off his sob story about having a quarter-life crisis, all the way back to the fated day when he decided that his life is miserable when doing company Z’s accounts. He chronicles everything he hates about his life; Jerry nodding empathically next to him, constantly refilling Jihoon’s cup every time he takes a shot.  

“Jihoon, there you are.” Seungcheol pops out in front of the two of them. Jihoon doesn’t look at him, distracted by the sharp slope of Jerry’s nose. He thinks that Jerry can balance plates on his nose if he needed to; that’s how sculpted Jerry’s nose is.  

“Hey, gotta pee.” Jerry gets to his feet. “Go on with your story, Jihoon. Seungcheol’s here to listen.” Jerry pushes Seungcheol onto the couch, who fills in the empty space he’d just vacated; then promptly disappears into the void of sweaty humans and EDM.

Jihoon’s eyes are out of focus as he inspects the human being sitting next to him. “Seungcheol? That’s a familiar name.” The blond reaches out to pat Seungcheol’s cheek.

“Really?” Seungcheol whispers – is his name that common?

“Yeah. Your name’s like my surf instructor’s. He’s hella hot, dammit.” Jihoon starts crying. “He’s like Adonis and Poseidon all rolled into one.” Jihoon sighs, sniffing. “So. Freaking. Beautiful.”

Seungcheol doesn’t know what to do; Jihoon’s clearly talking about him (unless the blond boy has another surf instructor named Seungcheol). Jihoon keeps on describing his visual features - his eyes, his nose, his lips, his hair, his ears, even – and it’s an odd feeling; Seungcheol’s not sure whether to feel flattered or embarrassed, considering that Jihoon’s piss drunk.

“His eyelashes…” Jihoon’s downright sobbing at this point, wiping his nose with his sleeve. “A work of art!”

“Wow. Okay.” Seungcheol gently pries Jihoon’s fingers off the cup he’s holding and puts it aside. He finds the empty bottle from which Jerry had been pouring Jihoon’s drinks from, sticking into his backside. He warily inspects the bottle and wonders how much Jihoon has had to drink.

“Noooooo.” Jihoon practically whines like a little child, when he realises that his little source of happiness is gone. “Gimme back. Want more.”

Seungcheol shakes his head, quickly discarding the empty bottle, looking at Jihoon with concerned eyes. The blond’s cheeks have a rosy hue - yes, he’s definitely wasted, all right. “You’re drunk, Jihoon.”

“Nawwww. I’m fine. Perfect. Crystal perfect.” Jihoon sniffs, then starts to giggle. 

Seungcheol makes a spilt-second decision – Jihoon’s too drunk to function. “Let’s go home.” He stands up, but Jihoon tugs him back down with such force.

“Where’s Soonie?” The smaller man peers a bit too close at Seungcheol’s face, his breath smelling of hard liquor.

“He’s not here.”

“Good.” Jihoon mumbles with a grin on his face, grabbing onto Seungcheol’s arms. Seungcheol can’t help but admire the curve of his soft pink lips this close, they’re like little rosebuds -

Jihoon suddenly falls flat, face-first, straight onto Seungcheol’s lap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Never get drunk, kids. Also yay, Wonwoo is here! :D


	12. hangover, hungover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after the party, Jihoon and Seungcheol spend some time together.

Warm.

Jihoon feels warm.

He’s cocooned in a blue blanket adorned with stars; his head resting on the softest pillow he’s ever encountered. It feels like heaven, and Jihoon feels like he can sleep forever like this. His own bed isn’t this comfortable – his bed in the rented Malibu house, though comfortable, never feels like home – here, it’s soft, warm, and smells like Seungcheol.

_Smells like Seungcheol._

He peels his eyes open, and he stares up at the ceiling, which looks just like any other ceiling he’s ever seen. He has no idea where he is (he’d established the fact that he’s not in heaven, because he reeks of alcohol), and his senses awaken him, alarm bells ringing. He’s not in a familiar place, and that’s enough to set him off.

Jihoon rolls out of bed (at least he thinks that he’s sleeping in a bed), crashing onto the floor in a fit of panic.

“Whoa!” Seungcheol wakes up with a jump, as Jihoon thumps loudly onto the floor. He’d fallen asleep in an armchair, watching over the drunk blond. Seungcheol looks around in confusion to look for the source of the loud sound; his brain just about to wake up. He notices Jihoon in a fluffy heap on the ground, groaning in pain. “Oh. Good morning, Jihoon.” A little smile adorns his face, with a hint of dimples, when the surfer sees Jihoon. His morning voice is a low rumble, and he rubs sleep away from his eyes.

“Is this your place?” Jihoon pulls himself up to a sitting position and looks around, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself.

It’s a studio apartment, with everything jammed into one room: the bed, the living area and the kitchen. A sliding door hidden by curtains lead to the balcony outside. The furniture is mismatched, probably second-hand items saved from garage sales, giving off a quirky vibe; and there’s a pile of clothes on the unmade bed. It’s just a typical bachelor pad, almost mirroring Jihoon’s shoebox back in Seoul, only significantly larger. Of course, there a few surfboards proudly arranged in their own rack in what’s probably the cleanest part of the room.

“Yeah. How do you feel?” Seungcheol replies, stretching in his seat.

“Crappy.” Jihoon croaks. “Did you sleep in that armchair?” He realises that he’d been sleeping on a sofa (which is notably much more comfortable that the couch he’d nested on at the party last night). He assumes that he must’ve had too much to drink last night, given his massive hangover – he feels like trash. He’s still wearing what he wore to last night’s party; his splitting headache makes him feel like his head’s going to explode, and his throat is as dry as the Sahara Desert; in addition to a bad case of halitosis, his breath stinking of liquor.

Seungcheol, on the other hand, looks well-rested, and he’s even changed into matching blue pajamas. “Seems like it. I do it all the time.” He pads over to the kitchenette in the corner of the apartment. “You need some aspirin?”

Jihoon can only nod. Seungcheol’s by his side in a flash, offering him two white pills and a glass of water. Without hesitating, Jihoon gulps them down; his sloppy movement causing some water to drip down his chin.

“Slowly.” Seungcheol grabs a tissue from its box nearby and wipes Jihoon’s chin, gently holding the smaller blond’s face in his large hands.

Jihoon notices that Seungcheol has impossibly adorable dark chocolate eyes, but before he can fully appreciate them, the surfer pulls away with an annoying little smirk on his face; walking back to his little kitchen. “Coffee?”

“No.” Jihoon’s trying to keep his caffeine-free streak, at least here in Malibu. It takes a while for the aspirin to kick in, but that sloppy drink of water makes him feel only slightly better.

“I’ll make some tea, then.” Seungcheol fiddles with the kettle.  

Jihoon’s got the question on the tip of his tongue as he watches Seungcheol shuffling around the kitchen, looking for mugs.

_What happened last night?_

Jihoon’s ears turn red at the notion. Nothing happened, right? He has no memory of last night – the last thing he remembers is…absolutely nothing. He has no clue how he ended up here, in Seungcheol’s cozy little apartment; and that’s a story he’d like to know. His legs feel like they’re going to fall off soon, so he grabs the pillow he’d used overnight and smashes his face into it, silently screaming.

“Do you want eggs?”

Jihoon mumbles an incoherent reply into his pillow, and Seungcheol takes that as a yes. The older guy busies himself around the kitchen as Jihoon tries to fall back asleep, wrapping himself up into the blankets on the floor. He doesn’t feel like doing anything today – he’s never been that wasted before.

“Here.” Seungcheol pops up beside him, handing him a steaming mug of tea.

Jihoon has no appetite; all he wants to do is sleep for the next ten years. He slowly sits up and graciously accepts the drink; taking a hesitant sip, almost burning his tongue in the process.

“It’s still hot, be careful.” Seungcheol follows up with a plate of scrambled eggs. “Eat up. You’ll feel better.”

Jihoon eats them in silence, as Seungcheol watches him. The blond feels conscious as Seungcheol watches his every move – _like, do you want me to feed you or something?_ He’s too used to doing things on his own (being with Soonyoung doesn’t count), and there’s a nice warm feeling creeping up his neck when he thinks about someone waiting on him, greeting him good morning with the best smile on earth, making him breakfast, and taking care of him in his hungover state – though Jihoon doesn’t want to fully admit that he was piss drunk last night.

“Do you want to go home? Soonyoung might be worried about you.” Seungcheol asks, his eyes trained on Jihoon, who’s still finishing up his food.

_No,_ Jihoon’s answer pops up instantly in his little head – _I want to stay here forever._

Between mouthful of eggs, Jihoon spies his phone on the coffee table, and reaches over for it. His text messages are empty, apart from a million work emails that came through last night – at this point, Soonyoung’s probably forgotten all about him.

“Or you can hang out here, if you want. I’ve got nothing planned today.” Seungcheol backtracks quickly.

Jihoon sets his phone down and looks at Seungcheol. The surfer looks like a huge puppy, with his huge chocolate eyes and playful little smile that beckons cold-hearted Jihoon to _come play along with me today._ Even though all grumpy Jihoon wants is to sleep, preferably on Seungcheol’s couch, wrapped in a soft blue blanket with a certain surfer’s arms around him…

Jihoon’s not one to test murky waters, but he’d left that side of him back in Seoul.

_Maybe if you don’t take a leap of faith, you’d never get what you want…_

Hungover Jihoon may be useless, but he has (somewhat) wise thoughts.

“That would be nice.”

* * *

Jihoon’s not sure why his life is so mundane - sometimes he secretly wishes that his life could be like one of those rom-coms that Mingyu from Human Resources is always recommending to him: all those clichéd romantic tropes about meeting your soulmate and falling fast and hard for them, topped off with a happily ever after and confetti and doves and kisses.

He’d said yes to Seungcheol’s invitation to hang out for the rest of the day, his heart thumping, hoping that for once, that maybe, just maybe, he’d get a few special moments with his attractive surf instructor (and possibly ask about last night, if he’s got the guts, because he’s 65.3% sure that _something_ happened).

Despite his wild imagination – and much to his disappointment - nothing really happens.

Right after breakfast, Seungcheol gathers the used plates and heads back to the kitchen to clean up; promising to break out his PlayStation console so that they can play video games together. Jihoon tries his best to stay awake, but the aspirin’s kicking in: he promises to shut his eyes for a brief rest while Seungcheol finishes up, but he ends up sleeping like a log for the rest of the day.

So there’s that.

It’s late afternoon when he finally wakes up, confused and disoriented. At least his body is hurting less – the painkillers have done its job – and it only takes Jihoon mere seconds to remember where he is; a blush creeping up his neck.

For once, Jihoon curses his hibernating abilities. At least he feels slightly better; the ache in his muscles from yesterday’s surf lesson subsiding, and his headache, gone. Seungcheol’s playing some video game on his PS4 that’s hooked onto the little television in the living area, but it’s on mute as he battles out enemies in a snow-laden warfield.

Jihoon finds himself wrapped up in blankets again, on the couch, and he lies there for a while, peeking at Seungcheol’s back. The surfer’s too immersed in his game to notice that Jihoon’s already awake.  The blond’s eyes skim onto the screen, where Seungcheol’s avatar is locked in heavy combat. It dies several successive times until it’s down to its last life, and Seungcheol can’t figure out where his enemies are – there’s just too many of them.

“You idiot. There’s a sniper on the roof, you’ve got to take him out first.” Jihoon quips, sitting up. His muscles still ache slightly thanks to yesterday’s intense surfing, and he stretches out, easing the pain. At least his headache has subsided.

Seungcheol grunts, still keeping his eyes on the screen. He lets his avatar kill the sniper and a few other mercenaries, finally completing the mission, before he puts the game on pause.  

“How are you feeling?”

“Hungry.”

“Drink some water first.” Seungcheol gestures to the glass of water on the coffee table he’d put out specially for Jihoon. “I’ve got pizza in the fridge, you okay with cheese?” He puts the controller down and heads to the kitchenette.

“I need the bathroom.” Jihoon mumbles, rushing towards the nearest door.

“That’s the exit.” Seungcheol says, with an amused tone, as Jihoon’s ears turn red in embarrassment; shocked to see the hallway outside when he opens the door. “Bathroom’s that way.” He points over to another door, right by the kitchenette.

Jihoon mutters a quiet thank you, heading over to the correct door, and locks himself inside the bathroom. He examines his reflection in the mirror – he looks like death. Pale, pale skin (as if being in sunny Los Angeles didn’t have any effect on him), dry lips, and slightly bloodshot eyes. His blond hair is all mussed up into a shocking bedhead - Jihoon’s surprised that Seungcheol hasn’t recoiled from him yet.

He splashes some cold water onto his face, awakening all of his senses. There’s an uneasy sensation settling in his stomach, but he hadn’t consumed much food in the past day. His throat is dry; and based on his self-diagnosis, Jihoon’s still not sure whether it’s the hangover kicking in, or the fact that he’s kind of nervous because the realisation has just hit him: he’d stayed over at his surf instructor’s house. Who’s kind of hot. Really hot, actually – definitely out of his league. Well. He’d established that fact since Day 1.

Jihoon stares at his own reflection, letting the water run, feeling nauseous. It takes all of his willpower to stop himself from retching. He tries to distract himself by counting the atrocious number of products lining Seungcheol’s sink – facewash, moisturiser, shaving cream, hey, is that a box of condoms?

For an inexplicable reason, Jihoon’s heart skips a beat. Being in close proximity to Seungcheol is taking a toll on his health; his heart’s gone haywire.

“Jihoon, you okay in there?” Seungcheol calls out from the other side of the door.

“Just a minute.” Jihoon clears his dry throat. He washes the tiredness away from his face a few more times, then takes a leak. He contemplates on using the products on the sink to freshen up - he feels lower than trash – but decides against it: he’s not about to impress anyone. Definitely not Seungcheol. Hell no. Besides, it wouldn’t be appropriate, would it, to use your host’s personal items, especially for an unsolicited sleepover.

He spends another two minutes staring at his own reflection – as if a third eye is going to pop up smack in the middle of his forehead – his thoughts simply crashing into each other in his brain that he’s not even thinking of anything. He only knows that once he goes out there, he’d have to face Seungcheol, and social anxiety hits him swiftly because he can’t predict what’s going to happen.  But what he learned from all those rom-coms Mingyu from Human Resources had subjected him to view, Seungcheol would be waiting for him on the other side of the door with a worried expression, and all he has to do is give him a reassuring smile and everything would be smooth sailing - 

Taking a deep breath to muster all of his confidence, he pulls the door open, only to find Seungcheol in front of the screen again, resuming his video game.

“Pizza’s in the microwave.” Seungcheol calls out as his shoots militants with a machine gun. The staccato of virtual bullets ricochet throughout the small room, slightly frazzling Jihoon’s nerves.

Life is really unpredictable.

Or, life isn’t a romantic comedy movie. Bummer.

Jihoon retrieves the pizza – two slices, one cheese and one pepperoni – and goes back to the couch with the intention of watching Seungcheol playing his video game. The older man’s sitting crossed-legged on the floor, pressing the buttons on his controller methodically like a skilled professional.

“Thanks for the food.” Jihoon digs in, like he hasn’t eaten for a week. No one says anything for a while, as Jihoon enjoys his greasy pizza amidst the rattling sound of virtual machine guns.

“Nice run.” Jihoon observes, impressed at Seungcheol’s coordination – his avatar’s practically a virtual killing machine, wiping enemies out in a blink of an eye. But once those words leave Jihoon’s mouth, everything goes into flames. For the next few minutes, Seungcheol misses all of his targets, and his avatar dies promptly when an enemy shoots it point blank – a definite rookie mistake. Jihoon chokes back a snicker as Seungcheol’s all flustered at how quickly he lost the game, but keeps a straight face, like nothing happened.

“Drink some water, yeah?” The older guy pushes a glass of water towards Jihoon, who’s finishing his last slice of pizza. Jihoon picks up his phone instead.

Thirty missed calls from Soonyoung.

The blond curses under his breath.

“Soonyoung’s looking for you?” Seungcheol, who’s sitting on the floor, peeks at Jihoon from underneath his long, long eyelashes, making him look so freaking adorable -  a complete contrast to his cool surfer image.

“Stop doing that. I need to get back before Soonie starts eating paper.”

Seungcheol blinks at Jihoon’s curt tone; alarm spreading over his face. “I’ll send you back then.” He grabs his car keys lying on the messy coffee table. “Anytime, when you’re ready.”

“Uh...Soonie doesn’t really eat paper. He only threatens to do that, if he’s upset with me.” Jihoon stalls; trying to prolong his stay.

Seungcheol simply stands up and smiles at him, keys jingling in his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I am also frustrating myself with this sweet, sweet slow burn ahahah) (・∀・''')
> 
> but anyway, happy holidays, everyone! (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ 
> 
> 2017 has been an okay-ish year for me; well, we have our ups and downs. Sometimes, life takes a different path from what you planned, so keep your head up and keep your cool.  
> Here's to brilliant days ahead, and remember to find happiness in all that you do!


	13. i don't kiss, and i don't tell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soonyoung tries to find out what happened to Jihoon last night.

“HOONIE!” Soonyoung’s waiting on the front porch, fiddling with some knitwork in his lap. Once the vlogpacker sees Seungcheol’s Jeep pulling up by the roadside, he abandons his craft and rushes over to the vehicle with the brightest smile on his face that could rival the sun.

“Cheol-hyung! Thanks for saving Hoonie!” Soonyoung tugs the passenger’s seat open, promptly pulling his best friend into a suffocating hug.

Seungcheol simply laughs heartily at Soonyoung’s antics, while Jihoon hopes to die on the spot because of all the unnecessary fuss. The smaller blond easily loops himself out of Soonyoung’s embrace, and mutters a quick thank you to Seungcheol, not really meeting the surfer’s eyes.

“I thought you were arrested or something! I called you but you didn’t pick up; so I was thinking of making a police report.” Soonyoung affectionately squishes Jihoon’s cheeks together. Jihoon quickly slaps Soonyoung’s hands away.

“Don’t worry, Soonyoung.” Seungcheol has the most blasé expression on his handsome face, like he’d sent hungover kids back to their home every other day. The older guy starts explaining the whole situation calmly to Soonyoung, who listens intently, forgetting about his best friend, making himself comfortable in the passenger seat.

Jihoon wanders over to the porch, eyeing Soonyoung’s knitwork – he’s trying to make a quilt – hoping that his best friend wouldn’t bombard Seungcheol with odd questions. Everything seems like a grey area now, full of social uncertainties. Jihoon doesn’t know if he can face Seungcheol for another surfing lesson; and he’s already getting the hang of the sport (even if he can barely swim). And now Soonyoung would probably make things weirder, knowing him.

The drive over had been wrapped with awkward silence – Jihoon couldn’t muster enough courage to ask for last night’s events. He tried remembering, but nothing came to mind; just hazy images of a potted plant, and the heavy beats of EDM. Nothing too helpful – was he really wasted last night? He’s never been drunk enough to forget things.

What a new record. A new high (or low?) for Jihoon.

Jihoon glances over to Seungcheol’s Jeep, and it seems like the two men are having a cozy bonding time, laughing and talking – about Jihoon, probably. He feels hot all over, feeling conscious that those two might just be gossiping about him. Soonyoung knows all of his darkest secrets, and has no qualms about telling them to the world, unless Jihoon’s there to make him swear not to tell over both of their dead bodies. The blond has half a mind to march over to the Jeep and pull Soonyoung out so that he doesn’t say anything he shouldn’t, but he stops himself because he doesn’t want to make himself look like an ass in front of Seungcheol.

With one final fleeting look at his surf instructor, Jihoon picks up Soonyoung’s abandoned knitting and enters the house. He chucks Soonyoung’s handiwork onto the table in the hallway then flops onto the couch, flicking the television on to keep himself occupied.

Forty minutes and thirty-seven seconds later (not that Jihoon’s counting), Soonyoung finally enters the house, humming. Jihoon keeps his eyes trained on the television, where an apocalyptic movie’s playing, and everyone’s dying from a tsunami. He hasn’t been focusing on it anyway, so he has absolutely no clue what’s happening. Some lady on the screen screams as Soonyoung bounces onto the couch, right next to Jihoon.

“So. Are you best friends with Seungcheol now?” Jihoon’s half-annoyed, and (maybe) jealous, too. He mutes the television, as a cue for Soonyoung to talk (because once he starts, there’s no stopping him).

“He’s fun to talk to! I told him about Bobby G’s class, and he was really excited about it! Did you know that Cheol-hyung’s a dancer, too?” Soonyoung grins. “He told me that you guys went to a party last night! Oooh, Hoonie, you’re a social butterfly now!”

Soonyoung then goes on a tangent on Bobby G’s class, but Jihoon’s zoned onto the fact that Seungcheol’s a dancer. Seungcheol pulling off some cool street dancing moves, fluidly and full of flair. But who knows that he could even be a ballet dancer? Jihoon’s already imagining the muscular surfer all clad in leggings and a tutu, pirouetting all over the place.

Possible, but highly unlikely.

“Cheol-hyung was kinda jealous that I got into Bobby G’s class. I told him that maybe we could all go next time, but Cheol-hyung says that he’s not a really good dancer himself to join Bobby G.” Soonyoung’s saying. “Then he said something about me eating paper?”

Jihoon’s obviously not listening to the chatterbox he calls his best friend, but he’s pulled back to reality when Soonyoung hits him with a cushion several times.

“I leave you for one day, and so many things happen to you! You’ve got to tell me everything, Hoonie!” Soonyoung grabs Jihoon’s shoulders and shakes him violently.

“Didn’t Seungcheol tell you everything?”

“I wanna hear it from you.” Soonyoung pouts.

Jihoon sighs. “Get me food, then I’ll talk.”

Soonyoung relentlessly begs for Jihoon to tell him all the details, but the blond keeps his mouth shut, refusing to say a word as he locks himself in the bathroom for a much-needed shower.

Finally, amidst Chinese takeout and _Cars_ playing on mute on the TV, Jihoon tells him (almost) everything.

“Oh, I found a video editor for you. Met him last night at the party; he can help you with your footage.” Jihoon mentions between mouthfuls of fried rice. He wonders how much footage Soonyoung has at this point, and it would be a pain to traipse through it all.

Soonyoung perks up; his mouth agape. “Really?”

Jihoon remembers that Hoodie Guy – Wonwoo – had given him his card, tucked into the back pocket of the jeans that he wore last night. The blond rushes upstairs to his room to retrieve the business card and give it to Soonyoung before he forgets; only to find that the clothes that he’d worn last night were gone. But he’d just left it right there, at the edge of the bed, or was it in the bathroom? He quickly scans his room, but his dirty laundry is missing – so there can be only one suspect.

“Soonie! Where are my pants?” Jihoon calls out from the top of the stairs.

Soonyoung takes his sweet, sweet time to reply. “Oh, I dumped it into the laundry when you were taking a shower.”

Soonyoung and laundry almost never go together in one sentence. Jihoon thinks that his best friend doesn’t even know what a washing machine is. He doesn’t even want to know how Soonyoung got his dirty clothes when he was ensconced in the bathroom – he’s certain that he locked the door.

“You did the laundry.” Jihoon blinks in disbelief.

“Yep. Along with my dance gear. They stink.”

Jihoon’s already rushing towards the washing machine at the back of the house, hoping that he can save Wonwoo’s business card before it gets ruined by the wash.

The one time Soonyoung does something thoughtful, it nips him right in the bud.

“Is the laundry done?” Soonyoung strolls into the laundry area, sipping from a juice box.

Jihoon lifts the lid open, and the stench of sweat hits him square in the face; so he quickly slams it back close, trying not to retch. Partly lucky, but mostly unlucky for Jihoon – there’s a chance that Wonwoo’s business card is still intact; but it cost him the stench of sweaty clothes.

“You didn’t even switch the thing on.” Jihoon inspects the plug behind the machine; slightly relieved that Wonwoo’s card won’t be a wet mess. Typical Soonyoung - as if the machine would magically start once you throw a load of dirty clothes in!

Soonyoung blindly reaches over to flick the machine on, but Jihoon shoves him away. “Don’t touch anything!”

Jihoon gulps in a huge breath of fresh air then opens the washing machine again, digging for his jeans. Of course, it has to be at the very bottom of the pile of stinky clothes, and Jihoon quickly fishes Wonwoo’s card out of one of the pockets before dunking it back inside, closing the lid shut. He straightens the crumpled card and hands it over to Soonyoung, who’s been watching him quietly while drinking his juice.

“Ooh, what’s this?” Soonyoung reads the card. “Jeon Wonwoo. Video editor. Is this the guy you met last night that you told me about?”

Jihoon scrunches his nose. “Talked to him for a bit. Maybe he can help you edit your videos.”

“Is he a nice guy?”

Jihoon nods. How pure of Soonyoung, to see the very best in people even before he meets them.

“I’ll call him tomorrow, then.” Soonyoung grips the card tighter. “Thanks, Hoonie.”

Jihoon’s pouring half a bottle of liquid detergent into the machine; his nose all scrunched up. The tiny laundry area smells of flowers now, blending in with the salty ocean breeze. A refreshing change from the stink bomb Jihoon had faced earlier.

Soonyoung leans against the machine, watching Jihoon work. “So. Cheol-hyung told me that you got drunk last night.”

“I don’t remember anything.” Jihoon replies shortly.

“Don’t you?” Soonyoung sidles up annoyingly close to Jihoon’s side as the smaller guy starts the machine.

Jihoon throws Soonyoung a death look then sighs. Submitting to Soonyoung’s pleading eyes, he recounts the superficial things that he can remember, but retelling last night’s memories makes it seem less substantial – now it seems like nothing major really happened. The two of them head back to the living room as Jihoon continues about how he ended up at Seungcheol’s place: “I woke up there, I really don’t remember.”

Soonyoung listens with rapt attention, sucking in air from his empty juice box. Jihoon simply concludes his anecdote within five sentences, and Soonyoung overreacts (as usual) about how it’s the story of the century that deserves a Pulitzer prize!

“Hoonie got drunk; you’re growing up, you’re not my cute little baby anymore but you know you always will be.” Soonyoung feigns wiping tears from the sides of his eyes, patting Jihoon’s head. “You must’ve been really wiped out. Cheol-hyung’s so nice to take care of you!”

Jihoon simply hums, remembering the warmness and softness of Seungcheol’s couch. He should’ve brought back Seungcheol’s blue blanket, for research purposes, since he doesn’t have his own blue blanket. Hypothesis: blue blankets are really soft, and make good remedies for hangovers if it has a certain _Seungcheol-y_ scent to it.

“So, when’s your next surf lesson?” Soonyoung kicks back in his seat, shovelling rice into his mouth.

Jihoon falls silent for a while. That hasn’t been arranged, with yesterday’s happenings. “Soon, I guess?”

“Don’t make it too soon, because I’ve just run out of memory cards filming Bobby G’s class. I need to meet up with Wonwoo first before I can start filming you surfing.”

“What about you? Isn’t it ‘Surfing with Soonie and Hoonie’?” Jihoon challenges, emphasising Soonyoung’s name. Soonyoung’s the one who’d dragged him into the whole surfing business anyway, besides, he’d somehow rather have his best friend there too, rather than enduring what could be a potentially awkward lesson if it were only him and Seungcheol.

“You’re better than me. So I’ll just film you.”

“Just because you skipped one class, I’m suddenly better than you?” Jihoon’s inwardly proud, knowing that the extra hours he’d put in practicing paid off.

“Maybe I could film Cheol-hyung, too. He’s a pro.”

Jihoon snatches Soonyoung’s food from him, stuffing a spoonful into his mouth. “You were the one who dragged me into this; you’d better get out there on the waves or else I’m going to eat all your food.”

Soonyoung barely reacts, and a mischievous smile creeps upon his face as he grabs his phone that’s lying on the coffee table. Jihoon finishes Soonyoung’s food, watching his best friend scroll through his phone, clearly looking through his extensive contact list.

That’s quick of him to call Wonwoo, Jihoon thinks, between mouthfuls of fried rice. Jihoon doesn’t realise that Wonwoo’s card is abandoned on the table. Soonyoung shoots his best friend an enigmatic look as he dials a number.

“Hello, Cheol-hyung!” Soonyoung chirps into the phone.

Jihoon almost chokes on his (read: Soonyoung’s) food.

“Hoonie wants to ask, when the next surf lesson?” Soonyoung sounds annoyingly perky. “Tomorrow evening? That would be fun. Yeah, I’ll be coming! Looking forward to it! See you, hyung!”

Jihoon coughs, reaching over for his drink, listening to the one-sided conversation.

“Oh, wait, do you want to talk to Hoonie?” Of course, Soonyoung has to waggle his eyebrows at his best friend.

Jihoon stares at Soonyoung like a deer stuck in the headlights. His best friend, however, doesn’t offer him the phone, still clutching the device to his ear, listening to whatever Seungcheol has to say.

“Ah, too bad. Bye, hyung!” Soonyoung sets his phone down and reaches over for another juice box.

Jihoon’s dying to know what Seungcheol said, but he’s not about to ask Soonyoung. His best friend is obviously expecting it, but he’s not going to fall prey. Jihoon continues eating Soonyoung’s rice to get his mind off things; only that he’s slightly dying internally because Seungcheol doesn’t want to talk to him on the phone.

“So.” Soonyoung’s flicking between channels, settling on a cartoon. “Surf’s up, tomorrow.”

“You’re not cool enough to use surfer lingo.” Jihoon rolls his eyes. “Hey, you said that you’ve run out of memory cards, so you’re probably not gonna film, right?” As much as Jihoon supports Soonyoung’s vlogging career, he’d rather spend a day without Soonyoung filming. Life is meant to be lived without a camera following you, but Soonyoung hasn’t grasped that concept. To him, moments are meant to be captured, so that one day, when Jihoon’s all old and wrinkly and forgetful, Soonyoung has his receipts.

“Wrong. I’m gonna call Wonwoo now.” Soonyoung reaches over and grabs Wonwoo’s card that’s lying on the coffee table, inserting the digits into his phone.

Jihoon swiftly peeks at the clock on his phone – it’s almost nine p.m – in his book, that’s too late for calls, be it social or business. He could easily wrestle the phone away from Soonyoung, but he remembers the ton of footage poor Wonwoo would have to review.

All of that doesn’t really have anything to do with him, so Jihoon sits back, and enjoys his dinner.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooooo i noticed that there's over a hundred kudos uwu thank you so much for reading!!!! (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ  
> Comments/feedback is always, always appreciated!! 
> 
> (sorry not sorry for the slow burn T_T; this work is becoming into a monster ahhh)


	14. hey stranger, please help me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soonyoung (finally!) meets Wonwoo.  
> Jihoon takes a walk down memory lane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huhhh been a while since the last update, but now ready to shake things up with new adventures since i'm done with finals yawawoooo
> 
> italics are lyrics from the chapter songs!
> 
> chapter songs:  
>    
>  [Simple](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa_qmhGrm3M)  
>   
> [When I Grow Up](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GBM39RX9Ds)  
> 

It’s still dark outside as Jihoon wakes up too early, annoyed by the strains of pansori Soonyoung’s playing from his room next door. Of course, Jihoon would’ve liked to sleep for a couple more hours, but the thought of seeing Seungcheol later for another surf lesson and Soonyoung’s strained falsettos singing along to pansori, awakens him, so he drags himself out of bed and peers out the windows, yawning. The sun hasn’t risen yet - the sky is still an inky dark blue, with hints of purple.

Another new day – has it been a week since he first landed in LA? Jihoon’s not keeping track. The waves are gently lapping up against the shore in the distance, and Soonyoung’s pansori is probably waking up half of the neighbourhood.

“Soonie, shut up; it’s too early!” Jihoon screams in his hoarse morning voice.

The music stops, and Jihoon’s relieved. Maybe he could go back to sleep. Sleep is always good. His bed’s already calling him back; though the absence of a certain blue blanket makes him slightly on edge.

Soonyoung barges into his room without knocking, a bright smile on his face. “Good morning, Hoonie!”

Jihoon dives under the covers in an effort to protect himself from whatever Soonyoung’s going to say. “The sun’s not even up yet. Why are you working on Eastern time?”

Soonyoung perches on the edge of the bed, looking thoughtful. “I left my heart in New York.”

“Stop being cheesy.” Jihoon tries to kick his best friend from underneath the covers, but his legs are too short.

“Can’t, I ate too much of it last night.” Soonyoung had found a can of string cheese last night, and finished the whole thing in an hour, much to Jihoon’s horror. “Anyway, Wonwoo said that he’s going to help me with the video editing today.”

“You’re not skipping surfing, are you?” Jihoon’s tone is menacing as he peeks at Soonyoung from under the duvet. His social (business?) call with Wonwoo must’ve gone well last night; and Jihoon’s thankful that the video editor’s sparing some time off to help Soonyoung with his monster amount of raw footage.

“Nah. I still wanna talk to Cheol-hyung.” Soonyoung grins. “Hey, did you realise that Wonwoo sounds like Morgan Freeman?”

Jihoon rolls his eyes and easily tunes out, knowing that Soonyoung’s going to ramble on for the next half hour. Sure enough, his best friend starts speculating about how Wonwoo might look, judging from his baritone – maybe a huge, buff guy like Seungcheol? Jihoon stifles a laugh, knowing how Wonwoo actually looks like, but he doesn’t offer an opinion.

Wonwoo’s supposed to come over at noon, but the guy doesn’t appear until after lunchtime. Soonyoung traps Jihoon with him, spending the whole morning knitting – because apparently, it keeps Soonyoung calm and focused. Jihoon would rather run down to Jerry’s, steal his board and practice surfing, since he’s not getting the hang of knitting: it’s just a muddle of colourful yarn for him, but Soonyoung’s handiwork is almost professionally made, which surprises Jihoon.

Soonyoung tells him the story of how he learnt to knit in the high mountains of Bhutan, the happiest place on Earth. It’s an interesting story at least, and the only time Jihoon would pay proper attention to his best friend – when he recounts his travels. Jihoon loves Soonyoung’s stories about walking along the streets of Rome, or shaving sheep in New Zealand. Of course, he’d read them on Soonyoung’s travel blog, but it’s endearing to hear it from Soonyoung’s own mouth, though his stories tend to end poorly.

The doorbell rings and Soonyoung discards his knitting, skipping over to open the door, expecting a pizza guy with the pizzas that Jihoon hasn’t ordered yet.

Instead, there’s a lanky bespectacled guy with a classically handsome face – angled jaws and serious eyes; holding a couple of pizza boxes and some video equipment. Soonyoung’s ears automatically turn red, though he doesn’t realise it – and for once, he’s speechless.

What do you do when a random hot guy who’s not a delivery boy turns up at your doorstep, with some pizza?

“Hello, I’m Jeon Wonwoo.” The guy says, and Soonyoung recognizes the deep baritone he’d spoken to over the phone last night. Flustered, Soonyoung invites him inside, pointing to the living room as he tries to collect himself. Hearing Wonwoo’s voice in person was even more overwhelming than it did on the phone last night. Soonyoung wipes his sweaty palms onto his shorts, takes a deep breath, then returns to the living room, where he’d directed Wonwoo to go.

“Hello, Hot-shot from Seoul.” Wonwoo nods at Jihoon as he wanders into the living room.

“Hey, Hoodie Guy.” Jihoon rebuts.

Wonwoo blinks, slightly taken aback. He’s not wearing a hoodie, but a light jacket, which he takes off since he’s indoors. He quickly dismisses Jihoon’s off-putting greeting, turning to Soonyoung. “You must be Soonyoung.”

“Yep. That’s me. Hi. Hello. Kwon Soonyoung. Soonyoung Kwon. Travel vlogger. Nice to finally meet you.” Soonyoung stutters, still slightly shaken, since he’s not how he envisioned him to be. “Thanks for bringing pizza.”

Jihoon raises an eyebrow, because Soonyoung _never_ stutters.

“I haven’t had lunch yet. Been working all morning, and since I was coming over, I brought pizza.” Wonwoo sets the pizza boxes onto the coffee table. The three of them stand awkwardly in the middle of the living room until Soonyoung makes Wonwoo sit on the couch next to his knitting, at which the lanky man raises an eyebrow at.

“I’m going to grab my stuff, then we can get started!” Soonyoung rushes upstairs to get his laptop and camera.

Wonwoo simply leans forward and grabs a pizza slice. “Pizza?”

Jihoon nods, copying the bespectacled guy. “Thanks, man.”

The two of the don’t say anything for a while, munching on pizza, as Soonyoung fumbles into about a million things upstairs, judging from the thuds and crashes.

“I hope he’s not destroying the top floor.” Wonwoo says dryly. “Maybe he turned into the Hulk.”

Jihoon simply shrugs, biting into another mouthful of cheese and pepperoni. Soonyoung must be nervous for some reason to be really clumsy, but Jihoon brushes it off. He’ll just sit back and see what happens. 

“Oh, yeah. He has like a week’s worth of footage.” Jihoon warns.

“Damn.” Wonwoo whispers, but keeps a straight face.

“I’m back!” Soonyoung’s a hurricane, blazing down the stairs; but he misses the last step and almost lands face-first into the wooden floor. His arms are full of electronics, and he hastily sets up base in the living room, smack in the middle of the coffee table amidst pizza and yarn.

“I’m fine. No worries!” The vlogger strolls into the living room with a bright smile on his face, like nothing happened.

Jihoon doesn’t see a reason for him to hang around while the two of them tinker around with the footage. Maybe he’d have enough courage to flip through his old lyric book, snugly hidden in his luggage – it’s time to revisit old memories. The balmy weather outside is inspiring him; a couple of lines coming to mind. Slowly, he’ll fall back in love with music. He knows it.

“So, have fun. Don’t fight, or anything. I’ll be upstairs,” Jihoon stands up, ready to leave.

“No, stay.” Even with his eyes glued onto the monitor, Soonyoung reaches out for Jihoon’s wrist and drags him down. “You’re my co-star, so you get like, 20% input into the final product. But I can still veto over you ‘cause I’m still older.”

“How about I give you full control of the final cut?” Jihoon suggests, hoping to get an escape pass.

Soonyoung thinks about it. “Deal.”

“So I can leave?” Jihoon starts to get up, only to be pulled back down by Soonyoung. His eyes practically scream _don’t leave me here alone with Wonwoo_ even though his expression is fairly neutral.

“I wanna let you have an exclusive pass to behind the scenes!” Soonyoung grins, as Jihoon subtly rolls his eyes, reluctantly taking a seat next to his best friend.

“Why are we sitting on the floor?” Wonwoo pipes up from Soonyoung’s other side.

“’Cause it’s more relaxed.” Soonyoung reasons, tapping on his laptop.

Jihoon doesn’t pay attention for the first half hour as Soonyoung and Wonwoo start reviewing the footage. Of course, it starts all the way from day one, the moment when he’d landed in LAX, looking for Soonyoung. One glance at his jetlagged face on the screen, and Jihoon immediately turns to his phone, pretending to sift through his crappy Facebook news feed. (As if one could call it ‘news’. It seems like Mingyu from Human Resources has gotten a promotion, judging from the photos he’d uploaded, taken from his celebration party. Good for him.)

Wonwoo’s powered up his own laptop too; opening some kind of fancy video editing software.

“You should’ve edited the footage as soon as possible. There’s too much of it.” Wonwoo mutters, realising the deep hole Soonyoung had dragged him into.

“Sorry, I didn’t know how to do this.” Soonyoung can only offer an apologetical grin as he waits for the editing software that Wonwoo’s downloaded into his computer to boot; munching on the last piece of pizza.

Wonwoo sighs, the first of many sighs to come.

Jihoon feels useless as the two other guys tap around on their laptops; he doesn’t know what else to do. He decides to pick a page out of Soonyoung’s book – coercing people into what he wants in the cutest way possible. Setting his phone aside, Jihoon shamelessly sidles up to his best friend, resting his chin on Soonyoung’s shoulder. “Soonie, I’m boreeeeeeeeeeeed.” He drags out the syllables and adds a little pout.

“Go and play.” Soonyoung says absentmindedly, his eyes glued to the screen.

Jihoon grins, because his plan completely worked – usually Soonyoung would be the one asking, while Jihoon does his work. Now it’s the other way around, and Jihoon vows never to act cute, ever again. It’s weird, because he’s a grown man; but at least he’s leaving this dreary little party. If you could call it that.

The blond picks up the empty pizza boxes and heads to the kitchen, leaving Soonyoung and Wonwoo to do whatever they needed to do. Jihoon discards the boxes and looks outside to the sea. The sun is blazing hot over the glistening blue water – soon he’ll probably be out there again with Seungcheol. He still doesn’t really know how to swim, but as long as he doesn’t fall into the water, it’s fine.

He remembers his original plan – to sift through his lyric book – and tiptoes upstairs, just in case Soonyoung forces him to sit through the mundane video editing process. Jihoon finds it odd that Soonyoung’s being pretty quiet as he works next to Wonwoo – his best friend usually talks people’s ears off especially when he meets them for the first time -  but Jihoon appreciates the comfortable silence.

Jihoon digs for his composition notebook from his luggage, and sits on the bed. He stares at the old leather-bound book, cracking at the sides. He remembers that he’d gotten it as a present from his grandmother for his fourteenth birthday, once she saw that he liked playing quirky little melodies on his guitar. Indirectly, she was the one who fuelled his songwriting.

He’d never let the book out of his sight, but it’s been years since he’d opened it. He knows all of its contents; little notes and lyrics and a few half-composed melodies. The key to his childhood. He’d been scared to open it – knowing what could’ve been if he’d pursued music, which he truly loved – trying to spare himself from the pain and disappointment of what could have been.

He takes a deep breath and opens the book.

His scrawly handwriting has always been almost illegible; but the lyrics, with their little annotations of chord progressions, makes him want to sing. Never mind what he wrote about; these songs were his masterpieces, and he’s proud of them. Too bad they stayed buried in his notebook, hidden from the world.

_I just want it simple._

Ironically, life was much simpler back then. What had his angsty teenage self been worried about – his maths homework, probably?  But the depth of the lyrics he’d written proved otherwise.

Just one line, and he remembers the song – he’d composed it, of course. Tucked away in his own bedroom, sitting on the bed with teddy bear-printed sheets, he’d experimented with chord progressions and melodies until he was satisfied. Then he practiced the song for a whole month until the whole song – the words, the chords, the melody, the harmonies – were embedded into his little brain. 

“What song is that?” Fifteen-year-old Soonyoung had asked, when he found Jihoon practicing his song after class.

Jihoon had simply shrugged, continuing to play, as Soonyoung sat beside him, listening carefully.

Once Jihoon let the last chord ring on the guitar strings, Soonyoung nodded and looked at his best friend. “It’s a good song.”

He kept playing the song, his anthem; on the piano, on his guitar, on the violin, on the clarinet, even on the kazoo that Soonyoung had given him as a joke. He’d hummed it when walking in the school hallways; sung it in the shower; practically whenever he could, so much that Soonyoung became irritated (especially that he didn’t know where the song came from).

Twentysomething Jihoon smiles to himself, remembering the good old days when life was simple enough that he’d written a song about wanting things simple. The music bursts into his head, the familiar song on loop in his head as he skims through the handwritten lyrics. He’s longing to sing his heart out, accompanied with an instrument – fingers flying over the ivory keys of a piano, the version he’d liked best. There’s a piano downstairs, in the living room where Soonyoung and Wonwoo are both working, but he isn’t sure whether they’d appreciate his impromptu concert. Most likely, Soonyoung would make him watch footage of them in the car, driving to Malibu, which was eventless. Or, he’d film Jihoon playing and share it to the world, which would be worse.

Jihoon flips the page and finds more lyrics, some crossed out; most in fragments.

_When I grow up, I’ll understand you more._

Another song his fifteen-year-old self had written, with his grandmother and parents in mind.

Being an only child, people thought that he was too naïve to understand how the world worked. But Jihoon had always been observant, noticing the little things; like how his father worked overtime six days a week, coming home late at night. His aging grandmother, who masked the pain in her knees with a strong, yet forced smile. His little family always kept him from the hard truths, always saying that he needed to be protected. He’d rebelled of course – protected from what? He was growing up, but they’d treated him like a baby. Others might have preferred it that way – ignorance is bliss – but Jihoon wanted to be treated as an adult, too. He was a child who couldn’t wait to grow up.

If only he could go back and tell his younger self to enjoy his childhood. He’d matured too young – maybe that’s why he’s having a quarter-life crisis? But if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be here with his best friend, seeing the sights of Los Angeles, and learning how to surf with a demi-god.

This vacation, as unpredictable as it can be, is turning to become one of Jihoon’s favourite moments in life.

Jihoon hums to himself. Despite the angsty lyrics, the song is mellow, almost cheerful. He’d intended for it to be that way; a hopeful melody for a hopeful future.

Life never goes the way you want it to. You’d be surprised along the way, whether you like it or not. He’d accepted what he’d become – a boring twentysomething with a white-collared job – but he only has one life, and seeing his best friend Soonyoung living free of worries, doing what makes him happy; he’s determined to make it worthwhile too.


	15. catch your wave (prelude)

Jihoon, Soonyoung and Wonwoo are standing in front of Jerry’s surf shop, facing the ocean; the cool late afternoon breeze countering the heat from the sun. The skies are blue, so is the sea and Wonwoo’s expression.

“Why am I here?” Wonwoo wonders out loud, with a miserable tone. Soonyoung’s really good at persuading; if he’d applied himself more, Jihoon thinks that his best friend could become a lawyer – but Soonyoung wouldn’t be Soonyoung if he worked in a stuffy suit from nine to five, defending petty criminals. Earlier, Soonyoung had coaxed the video editor to join them at the beach, and he couldn’t get a word in between. In fact, Soonyoung wouldn’t let Wonwoo leave, telling him that he ‘needed to experience the magic first-hand’. To which Wonwoo had countered - filming isn’t magic, it's tiring; being experienced in the film industry.

Jihoon had watched the two bicker about going to the beach in the middle of the living room, sensing an interesting dynamic, as he munched on chips. Soonyoung had eased into Wonwoo’s company, transitioning from nervous silence to treating him like they’d known each other forever, with little puns and lame jokes. They hadn’t finished scouring the mountain of footage – in fact, Soonyoung kept rewinding them, giggling at the little details – so they still had more work to do. Wonwoo wanted to stay in, but in the end, Soonyoung had won, so here they are, standing right on the golden sand: a jaded small blond, an excited man-child, and a cranky cinematographer.

Jerry joins the trio on the beach, with the biggest grin on his face. “What are we looking at?”

“The sea, and beyond.” Soonyoung says dramatically, gazing into the distance. “For our destiny awaits…somewhere out there.”

Jihoon facepalms, while Wonwoo mutters something about having better things to do. The seagulls caw above, but Soonyoung’s unperturbed by the lack of reaction, continuing his little monologue.

“We’re like the surfing Avengers, waiting for Nick Fury to come. That would be Cheol-hyung, by the way. I’m gonna be Iron Man.” Soonyoung poses like the superhero.

“I don’t even surf.” Wonwoo’s definitely out of place, in his old jeans and jacket; while Jihoon and Soonyoung are both decked out in their surf gear. “Why do you need me here again?”

“Please help me film today. I’ll buy you steak.” Soonyoung immediately falls to his knees and begs.

Wonwoo contemplates Soonyoung’s request, rubbing his chin. It’s food – he does like steak – but he’s not getting paid. What a decision to make. Apart from food, he’s not gaining anything from this; and Wonwoo berates himself for agreeing to the whole thing in the first place – but there’s something about Soonyoung that stops him from saying no.

“Wanna go get your boards?” Jerry turns to Jihoon. The blond nods, and follows Jerry into his little shop, leaving the other two outside, for Wonwoo to either accept or reject Soonyoung’s desperate proposal.

“Welcome to Jerry’s Surf Shop!” A teenager, standing behind the counter, greets the both of them as they enter. His voice is so loud, that even Soonyoung and Wonwoo can hear him from outside.

“That’s the new kid. Tom.” Jerry says to Jihoon.

“It’s Thomas.” The kid insists, pouting.

“Fine. Thomas.” Jerry rolls his eyes; as the boy smiles, his chubby cheeks puffing out – reminding Jihoon of that kids’ show Thomas the Tank Engine. “This is Jihoon. He’s a regular – he keeps his board in the backroom.”

Thomas nods enthusiastically and jots something in a little notebook. “Right, boss. Are you from Korea, Mr Jihoon sir?” Thomas chirps, looking at Jihoon with bright eyes.

Jihoon’s not too open for conversation, so he simply nods.

“Wow! My mom’s from Jeju!” Thomas emphasises the last word excitedly.

“Good for her.” Jihoon mutters.

The three of them enter the backroom, where Jihoon and Soonyoung’s boards are leaning on a rack, ready for use.

“Do you need help, boss?” Thomas asks, watching Jerry take Soonyoung’s board from the rack.

“Nah, just go wait at the counter. We’ll be fine.” Jerry shoos the teen away, and Thomas scurries back out. “He’s a good kid. Sings too much, though. And it’s only his first day.” Jihoon simply nods, unsure of how to respond; as he helps Jerry extricate his board from the rack.

Soonyoung’s entered the shop, so Thomas greets him – again, louder than necessary. The kid’s practically a walking loudspeaker; a bundle of excited energy. Soonyoung, of course, being the friendly guy that he is, jokes around with Thomas before popping his head into the backroom to find Jihoon.

“Hoonie! Great news! Wonwoo’s agreed to film us today!” Soonyoung smiles as bright as the sun, excited that the bespectacled man would get to experience their adventures firsthand.

“Joy.” Jihoon says lifelessly, clutching onto his board. If only the surf lesson can start as soon as possible, so that he doesn’t have to lose his brain cells talking to these people.

“You still need to wax the boards, yeah?” Jerry reminds the pair, as they navigate their way out of the shack. Soonyoung, who’s forgotten how huge his board is, almost knocks into a rack of wetsuits. The vlogger apologises profusely, but Jerry simply brushes it off.

“Sorry that my shop’s too small. No harm done, anyway.” Jerry hands some board wax over to Jihoon. “Have fun out there, water looks good.”

Soonyoung and Jihoon sit on the sand, waxing their boards. Wonwoo’s gone off to grab Soonyoung’s camera at home; Soonyoung fully entrusting him with the house keys.

“You trust people too easily.” Jihoon comments. What if Wonwoo decides to ransack their house – maybe he doesn’t look the part, but the unsuspecting ones are usually the masterminds!

“Well, you don’t trust people at all.” Soonyoung counters, vigorously rubbing his board. “Wonwoo’s a reaaaaaaaally nice guy. You were the one who introduced us, anyway.”

“Fine.”

Soonyoung starts singing some Japanese pop song as he does his work; with Jihoon providing the harmonies at certain intervals. It’s soothing, listening to the ocean waves crash onto the shore while waxing surfboards – like there’s some element of relaxation in the activity.

“Hey, guys. Nice to see you again, Soonyoung. How are you feeling, Jihoon?” Seungcheol’s shadow looms over the two friends. Jihoon tries not to gape at his surf instructor, wondering if he’s hiding washboard abs behind that tight wetsuit. He shoots a nervous grin at the surfer; his heart fluttering at the memory of Seungcheol taking care of him when he was drunk.

Meanwhile, Soonyoung immediately scrambles to his feet, bowing a full ninety degrees. “Good afternoon Teacher Cheol-hyung!”

Seungcheol’s amused at Soonyoung’s antics; and Jihoon rolls his eyes. “He wants something.” The blond mutters, knowing his best friend very well.

Seungcheol faces the vlogger with a smile; barely hearing Jihoon’s words. “Yes, Soonyoung?”

“It’s a very nice day, isn’t it?” Soonyoung throws an arm over Seungcheol’s shoulder, making him face the ocean.

“Yeah, water looks good. Can’t wait to get out there.”

“You’re the Nick Fury to my Iron Man.”

“Weird, I’ve always thought of myself as the Hulk.” Seungcheol smirks, flexing a bicep.

“Huge, green and angry?”

Seungcheol laughs heartily at Soonyoung’s bluntness, unsure of the direction of the conversation.

“Just tell him what you want, Soonie.” Jihoon calls out, still rubbing a layer of wax onto his board.

A serious look falls over Soonyoung’s features, as he grips the surfer’s shoulders. “Please let me film today.”

“I’m fine with you filming. I let you film the first day, remember?” Seungcheol shrugs nonchalantly.

“But I brought in a friend today. He’s a professional.”

“As long as it doesn’t interrupt the class, it’s fine, buddy.”

Soonyoung pulls Seungcheol into a hug. “Yay!” The surfer returns the embrace, and Jihoon eyeballs the pair, wondering if the skinship is necessary. Since when were the two of them all buddy-buddy, like they’ve been friends for years?

Seungcheol lets go soon enough, though he keeps an arm slung around Soonyoung’s shoulder as he turns to Jihoon. “So are you guys ready for today’s lesson? Soonyoung, you’ve got a lot to catch up on.”

“Bobby G’s was worth it.” The vlogger sighs.

Seungcheol grins. “Still. Hey, Jihoon, don’t push yourself too much, okay?”

“I’m fine.” Jihoon mutters, discarding the wax aside – he’d used more than half of it already. At the rate he’s waxing his board, his feet are probably going to be glued to it.

Seungcheol smiles at the blond – hello dimples! – and turns his attention back to Soonyoung. The two of them go over the basics on the sand – paddling, pop-ups – while Jihoon watches them, slightly miffed that Seungcheol’s attention is all on his best friend. They’re both full of jokes, laughing around like dorky teenagers.

“Hey, Jihoon.” Wonwoo’s returned with the camera, popping out from nowhere. He fiddles with the device, switching it on. “What am I supposed to film?”

“Them, for sure.” Jihoon points at Soonyoung and Seungcheol, who are hard at work, practicing the popups. The playful atmosphere turns serious as Soonyoung puts more effort in the surf moves rather than pulling off random jokes. Wonwoo nods, and points the camera at the student and teacher; but they’re too immersed in the lesson to even notice that they’re being filmed.

Jihoon decides to practice on his own by the side. He easily gets into his rhythm – flat down on the board, then pop up to his feet, perfecting the move.

After a while, Seungcheol glances in the blond’s direction and flashes a gummy smile. “Nice, Jihoon.”

Soonyoung tumbles onto the sand from his upright position on his board, giggling for no apparent reason. Wonwoo even zooms in on him, a tiny smile quirking onto his lips, as Seungcheol helps him up.

“Time out for you, Soonyoung. Good job.” The surfer pats Soonyoung’s shoulder, then strides over to Jihoon. “Want to go out there and try to catch a wave, Jihoon?”

Jihoon’s standing on his board, pretending to ride a wave as he focuses on the distant ocean instead of looking at his instructor. “Nah, I’m good.”

“Why not? I think you’re ready. You’ll probably wipe out, but hey – “

Soonyoung clamps a hand over Seungcheol’s mouth. “Do not say the ‘w’ word.”

The surfer’s confused, raising an eyebrow at Soonyoung. He muffles something under Soonyoung’s palm, which is still cupped over his mouth.

“Never say the ‘w’ word.” Soonyoung repeats in a low voice, almost threatening.

The surfer shoves Soonyoung’s hand away. “All right, buddy, chill. I get it, Jihoon, you’re not ready.”

“What do you mean? Look at him! Of course he’s ready!” Soonyoung gestures at his best friend. Jihoon tries look elsewhere – stubborn Soonyoung is rearing his head. The vlogger is contradicting himself: he probably wants Jihoon to try surfing for more vlog content, but he’s still worried about his best friend’s welfare. And this time, he can’t sleep his problems off in the middle of the beach!

“If he doesn’t want to do it, it’s fine, Soonyoung.” Seungcheol’s suddenly conscious of the fact that Wonwoo’s quietly filming everything from the sides.

Soonyoung suddenly grabs Jihoon and drags him aside, away from Seungcheol and Wonwoo.

“I need to confer with my best friend, please excuse us, gentlemen.” Soonyoung smiles sweetly at the two other men, before turns to Jihoon and whispers loudly. “Get in the water, Hoonie!”

“No!” Jihoon has a scandalised expression on his face – he’s ready to murder Soonyoung anytime soon.

“But then I’ll have no new content!”

“Sucks to be you, then. You still have a lot of footage at home.”

“Don’t remind me. Hoonie, please, believe in yourself; you can get out there on the water, you’ve been practicing for days!”

“Not for your stupid vlog!”

Soonyoung gasps dramatically, then turns to Seungcheol and Wonwoo, giving them a reassuring thumbs-up and a smile. “My vlog is not stupid!” He hisses at his best friend. “You’ll never know if you don’t try, Hoonie!”

“But I can’t swim!”

“You don’t have to! As long as you can float, it’s enough!”

As the two of them argue quietly at the side, Seungcheol turns to Wonwoo, who’s stopped filming for the time being; and introduces himself. “So. How’d you know them?”

“Met Jihoon at a party a couple of nights ago, and got sucked into Soonyoung’s video project. I regret everything.” Wonwoo sighs, watching the pair of best friends bicker in stage whispers and hisses. Seungcheol simply nods, then strikes up a conversation about the movie business, which Wonwoo is heavily involved in; and which he’s interested in, too.

“Hollywood’s full of people who want to be stars, man. If you want a shot at success, I’d suggest that you go back to Korea.” Wonwoo says, after discovering Seungcheol’s aspiration to become an actor. Seungcheol nods, aware of that fact.

At that moment, Soonyoung drags Jihoon back to Seungcheol and Wonwoo; but his neutral expression doesn’t give anything away. “We have discussed thoroughly and arrived at a conclusion,” Soonyoung formally announces. “Please get this on film, Wonwoo.”

The lanky, bespectacled man quickly records them on his camera.

Soonyoung clears his throat before continuing. “Hoonie is going to surf the blue waves of the Pacific Ocean today. Please clap.”

Seungcheol claps loudly, and even hollers; before his expression softens. “If you’re fine with it, Jihoon?” The surfer asks, still full of concern.

Jihoon nods. “Now or never.” Soonyoung had brainwashed him into facing his fear of the water head-on. He’d been planning to stall from another lesson in the water; but since he’d eventually be coerced into surfing the waves soon anyway, he decided to go through with it. It’s time to show off his skills, anyway.

“Let’s go.” Seungcheol grabs his own board, fastening his leash to his ankle, and heads over to the water with the biggest grin on his face. Wonwoo follows, with the camera trained on Soonyoung and Jihoon, who’s hesitating as the weight of his impulse decision falls upon him.

“And here is the great Lee Jihoon, paving the way for white-collars everywhere…” Soonyoung starts narrating dramatically, sticking close to Wonwoo so that his voice gets picked up by the camera’s microphone. Wonwoo’s slightly annoyed by Soonyoung, who’s invading his little bubble of private space, and subtly inches away.

Jihoon stands uselessly, staring at the sea: Seungcheol’s stepped into the water, while Soonyoung and Wonwoo are waiting for him to venture down into the sea – this isn’t Baywatch; he’s not going to go running down excitedly to the water with his insanely huge longboard clutched under his arm while the wind gently brushes through his blond hair -

Insecurity falls over him, a little voice echoing at the back of his head.

_You’re a fool._

_A non-swimming fool._

_But you’re a swimming fool; since you’re a fool who can’t swim._

_Lee Jihoon, you swimming fool._

So he braves himself, and walks down to the glistening blue water across the golden sandy shore; nervously anticipating for whatever the surfing heavens have in store for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **pop quiz: which seventeen member is thomas**  
>  (as if it's not obvious)  
> idk feedback would be nice  
> thank you for reading cx


	16. catch your wave, then drift away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **TRIGGER WARNING: DROWNING.**
> 
>  
> 
> (i'm sorry jihoon. ily)

Jihoon is actually going to surf today. Even with his lack of swimming skills – which his hot-as-hell instructor doesn’t know of – how did he get into this whole mess, anyway? The ocean seems like ten miles away, and every step that he takes towards it makes him shudder with dread.

_Deep breaths. The water is lava the water is lava the water is lava._

He’d paddled around on the white water a couple of days ago, and it didn’t cause him any harm – in fact, he barely got wet. Besides, why would he keep practicing his popups if he wasn’t going to use them?

Jihoon hopes his surfing skills outweighs his swimming skills. He’s more nervous today, under Soonyoung’s peer pressure, and Wonwoo, who’s filming; but another reassuring smile from Seungcheol eases him as he walks down to the water with his board tucked under his arm.

“Remember what I taught you, Jihoon. And if anything happens, don’t panic – and have fun!” Seungcheol’s already ankle-deep in the water. “I’ll be watching out for you. Don’t worry.”

Someone cheers loudly from the shore – it’s Jerry, jumping up and down like a madman – it seems like he’d trusted Thomas to care for his shop while he witnesses a golden moment in history. “Water looks good, guys!”

“Looks a bit choppy to me.” Jihoon mutters, setting his board on the surface of the water as he wades in slowly, after making sure that his foot leash is secure. The waves roll into the shore, dissolving into ticklish foam as they pull back. The water’s a bit cold in contrast to the golden warm sand; and the late afternoon sun beats down on the back of his neck.

Jihoon wades cautiously further into the sea; while Seungcheol’s already sitting comfortably on his board in the middle of the ocean.

“Isn’t it too deep over there?” Jihoon calls out – he’s already knee-deep into the water, the deepest that he’s ever been. He grips one hand tightly onto his board that’s right next to him, trying to judge the distance between him and Seungcheol, who seems like he’s a mile away. How did he get out there so fast?

“The best waves don’t break this close to the shore, blondie!” Jerry calls out – he’d joined Soonyoung and Wonwoo by the teeth of the water.

“Get on your board, Jihoon; then paddle out here. It’s fine.” Seungcheol says.

Jihoon tries to push himself onto his board, almost tipping the board over, losing his balance.

“Careful, Hoonie!” Soonyoung shouts, his voice echoing across the ocean.

Jihoon hopes that the three idiots on the shore would get distracted by a seagull or something; he doesn’t need their input. Even though Wonwoo’s silent, he’s still filming; and Jihoon doesn’t need that kind of pressure.

Another try, and Jihoon nails it; hauling a leg over his board. Trials and tribulations, before success. Seungcheol’s already waiting in the open water, so Jihoon lies down and paddles over to him. Left stroke, right stroke, fluid movements; as he cuts through the water smoothly, heading towards Seungcheol.

_The water is lava the water is lava the water is lava._

“You good?” The surfer asks once he makes it.

“Yeah.” Jihoon breathes, still lying flat on his board – he thinks that his lower centre of gravity would lessen the risk of him falling into the water; which looks as deep as the Marianas Trench.  

“Here, we’re only waist-deep in the water,” Seungcheol explains, contradicting Jihoon’s thoughts about the depth of the sea. “You can sit up for a while, ‘cause I’m going to teach you how to spot the perfect waves.”

Jihoon complies, slowly rising from his lying position on his board, still careful with his movements; and his racing heart (he’s sure that it’s because of the trepidation of being around water, and not as an effect from his surf instructor) certainly isn’t helping. Seungcheol launches into a lecture, gesturing out to sea to emphasise his points; but Jihoon barely registers his deep voice because all he can think about is the vast body of water surrounding him.

“There’s a lot of waves today.” Jihoon mentions, as he clutches the sides of his surfboard tightly. A hint of a wave rolls under him, before it gains more energy as it reaches the shore, growing and growing before breaking down into foamy water that calmy lap against the shore. The water’s a bit turbulent for his liking, as they both bob up and down on the water surface every time a wave passes by. Jihoon doesn’t feel safe on his board, thinking that he can topple into the water anytime.

“It’s perfect.” Seungcheol smiles, enjoying every bit. “Need me to recap what I’ve said?”

Jihoon nods, feeling slightly bad that he’s not paying attention to the surfer. His mind is filled with too many thoughts, and that somehow blocks all his surroundings – he’s thinking about absolutely nothing.

“You pick a vantage point, and make sure that you have a reference point so that you know how far out you are,” Seungcheol says. “Make sure there aren’t any other surfers around, remember, it’s rude to drop into someone else’s wave.”

Jihoon nods, realising that Seungcheol is watching him.

“When you think you’re ready and in the right spot, turn your board around and face the shore, like this,” Seungcheol demonstrates, kicking his legs in a circular motion, much like an egg beater; turning his board 180 degrees to see Soonyoung and Jerry watching them, with Wonwoo filming on the shore. He waves at them briefly, as Jihoon tucks in the new technique into his little brain – maybe he could stall and ask another session by saying that he needed to practice turning his board, though he’d have to do it in the water.

“Then, before the wave approaches, you paddle as hard as possible to match its momentum, and at the right moment, you’ll know when to pop up and ride the wave to its end.”

Jihoon visualises Jerry surfing the other day, with Seungcheol narrating each technique; and realises that he’s never seen Seungcheol surf.

“Oh yeah, and don’t be too stiff,” For some reason, Jihoon quickly glances at his crotch – “Just relax, okay? I’m here. Don’t worry.” Seungcheol smiles at him reassuringly, complete with dimples.

“Could you, uh, show me a trial run?” Jihoon asks, his ears burning red.  

Seungcheol grins widely, as if pleased with the request. “No problem. Stay here.”

“I’m not going anywhere!” Jihoon says in a high voice, laughing nervously, though he has half a mind to paddle back to shore, run back home and hide under his covers for the next three months.

Seungcheol immediately switches into surfer mode; his eyes focusing out onto the open sea. His easy-going smile is gone, replaced by a serious expression, like what Jihoon wears when he’s focused on balancing company Y’s accounts back at his stuffy job.

“I’m off.” The surfer flops down onto his stomach and starts paddling out into the open water. His movements are smooth, cutting through the water easily with his strong arms.

Seungcheol does a duck dive through a wave, pushing his board underwater to cut through it, aiming for the next wave instead. He gets himself into position, turning his board towards the shore like how he’d just taught Jihoon earlier, and waits for the wave to approach, adjusting his position on his board so that the front tip of his surfboard angles up, out of the water. Briefly, he glances at Jihoon, who’s waiting on his board nervously closer to the shore, hoping that he can put on a show for the small blond.

Then it’s all systems go, as he senses the wave growing and approaching, throwing all his might into paddling to match the wave’s momentum and speed. Seungcheol keeps his eyes forward, powering on until he’s sure that he’s able to catch the wave. He also needs to time it right so that he can catch it before it breaks; otherwise it’s all for nothing.  

Seungcheol’s now on par with the wave’s momentum, and adrenaline surges through his veins as he prepares to pop up to his feet in one swift motion. This is what he surfs for – the incredible feeling of catching a wave and riding it towards the end: simple in theory, but it takes practice and perseverance to execute, and dedication to perfect it. He easily gets to his feet, planting them in his usual stance on his board – arms loose, knees bent; timing it perfectly as he manages his balance when the wave sweeps his board its momentum – now he’s riding it straight in, letting the wave carry him towards the shore. A smile adorns his lips, as always, when he knows he’d caught the wave perfectly. He would’ve liked to add in a couple of twists and turns for fun, but he remembers that Jihoon’s just a beginner, so he’d leave that for later.

The wave’s energy is depleted soon enough, and Seungcheol pumps his fists in triumph, as if he’d just won some surfing championship; and Soonyoung and Jerry cheer for him from the beach. The smile never leaves the surfer’s face as he flops back down to his belly to paddle back to Jihoon, who’d watched the whole thing in awe, even if his face doesn’t give anything away.

“Think you can do that?” Seungcheol grins, pushing his wet hair back.

“Looks easy enough.” Jihoon says loftily, looking out to the ocean. There are quite a few waves out there, swelling up into a couple of metres in height, before crashing into white water.

“Just remember what you’ve practiced. I know you can do it.”

Jihoon hums then lies down on his stomach, ready to paddle. There’s a loud banging in his ears – he’s blocking out the sounds of the world. He can hear his own heartbeat; it’s erratic, and has it always been that loud? His feet are cold, probably because of the water, and he tightly grips the sides of his board that his knuckles turn white.

Seungcheol’s right – he knows what he needs to do, besides, Seungcheol himself didn’t wipe out earlier; it’s that simple. Jihoon’s practiced more than enough, so technically, he should be able to surf a simple wave! Besides, it would be easier if he got this over with – maybe he’d be braver next time if he successfully surfs one wave.

One measly wave, to boost his self-confidence.

_The water is lava._

_You’ve got your leash_ , _it should be fine._

_I know you can do it._

Surf one little wave, and keep out of the water.

Simple.

_I just want it simple._ His own song suddenly bursts into his mind.

Jihoon exhales heavily, done with his little monologue, and prepares himself for what lies ahead.  He looks ahead – a wave is approaching, but it’s already too close to catch, so he bobs over it, letting the wave pass under him as its movement pushes him back to the shore.

_This is it._

The blond starts paddling out, passing by his surf instructor, determined to catch a wave and ride it out. Another wave approaches, and not wanting to dive underwater to cut through it like Seungcheol did earlier, Jihoon steels himself, planning to paddle over it instead.

Only that he’d underestimated the wave, which looks like a little bump in the sea, but it actually has copious amounts of energy welled up in it, swelling in size as Jihoon approaches it. The wave grows larger vertically, and Jihoon can’t keep up with its momentum as he tries to paddle over it.

Suddenly the wave breaks, showering Jihoon with the salty ocean water as he slips off his board and into the sea – a sense of déjà vu washes over him; the same situation when he’d been drowning, helpless, lacking swimming skills. The current whips him to and fro, caught in the momentum of the wave, that he doesn’t know the right way up. He’d accidentally swallowed a nasty mouthful of salt water, trying to gasp for air; his limbs flailing. His mind is in a panicked haze, and he doesn’t dare to open his eyes. Disoriented, he holds in his breath; the leash tied to his ankle tugging him from the opposite direction. Water starts filling in his lungs, and the cruel laughter of three ten-year-olds echo in his head before darkness falls over him.

* * *

Air in his lungs.

Lips on lips.

Jihoon’s subconscious is already awake, though his body is still weak and unresponsive and his eyes are still closed. In fact, his imaginative mind is already berating whoever’s kissing him to put more pressure, their lips are barely touching and oh god he wants it so much because it’s been a while since he’d kissed anyone.

More air in his lungs.

Jihoon slowly peels his eyes open, coughing. Seungcheol, who’s right by him, helps him sit up, and he chokes out some sea water, which leaves a metallic taste in his mouth.

“He’s awake!” Soonyoung screams into his face. Jerry pulls the vlogger back to give Jihoon some space.

“Jihoon, are you okay?” Seungcheol asks, and Jihoon nods feebly, trying to grasp onto his surroundings, conscious that the surfer is a little too close to him.

He has no idea what happened, only remembering that weird dream that someone was kissing him. He was surfing earlier, now he’s on the sand, which doesn’t make sense at all. Wonwoo is still filming, holding the camera static like a tripod, capturing every little moment. Seungcheol looks relieved, with his eyebrows still scrunched into a knot of worry, while Jerry looks like he’d taken a swim in the ocean. Even Soonyoung has a concerned expression on his face, and Jihoon can’t figure out why.

“What happened?” Jihoon asks to no one in particular.

“You fell off your board in the sea.” Seungcheol replies, still supporting Jihoon with his hand on the small of the blond’s back, as if he could just fall back anytime.

“And you drowned, like you did in fifth grade,” Soonyoung chips in unnecessarily.

Jihoon gives Soonyoung a dirty look – ‘we don’t talk about fifth grade’ – while Seungcheol and Jerry looks surprised at that little piece of information.

Soonyoung looks unperturbed, as he continues. “Then Cheol-hyung did a Superman and saved you, and he gave you PCR.”

“It’s CPR.” Wonwoo corrects him, in his usual monotone.

Soonyoung blinks. “…CPR? Then what’s PCR?”

“That’s short for polymerase chain reaction, dork. PCR. Used in science and DNA and stuff.” Wonwoo says stoically from behind his camera.

Soonyoung’s lips form a perfect circle in surprise as Jerry interjects, “I helped, too!”

“You only saved the surfboards, dude.” Wonwoo mutters, knowing what exactly had happened – he’d gotten it all on film – his panic reaction watching Jihoon being swallowed up by the wave was to freeze up like a statue, almost forgetting that he was still filming.

Jihoon’s only focusing on the fact that Seungcheol was the one who’d gave him CPR, saving his life – how soft and gentle his lips were against his own as the surfer breathed life back into his lungs. Seungcheol’s impossibly long eyelashes that fluttered against his cheek – what would it feel like if he kissed the surfer for real?

He'd almost lost his life, and all he could think about was Seungcheol. Jihoon’s ears turn red, and he wants to bury his head into the sand.

“Guys, chill. We’ll just end today’s lesson, Jihoon needs to rest. I think he’s still in shock.” Seungcheol says, as Jihoon coughs up more seawater onto the sand.

“I’ll take the boards back, no worries.” Jerry volunteers, scrambling to collect Jihoon and Soonyoung’s rented surfboards.

Wonwoo finally points his camera down, letting out a sigh of relief. “Battery’s dead. Like, finally.” 

“C’mon, I’ll take you home. It’s not far, right?” Seungcheol hoists Jihoon onto his back. Jihoon tries to protest, but he already feels comfortable clinging onto the surfer’s muscular back as they head in the direction of Jihoon and Soonyoung’s rented beach house.

“You two go ahead, I’ll be back later!” Soonyoung calls out, pretending to help Jerry with the boards. He chucks the house keys to Seungcheol, who neatly catches it while still holding on to Jihoon with his other arm.

The walk back is short, so Seungcheol doesn’t really mind, trudging along the sand with Jihoon on his back. “You did well today. I’m sure you could’ve caught a wave if you didn’t…you know…”

“I can’t swim.”

Three little words, right in his ear, not what he’d expected. “What?” Seungcheol tenses at the revelation, almost dropping Jihoon.

Jihoon laughs, feeling lightheaded as he clutches on tightly to Seungcheol, nuzzling against the surfer’s nape. “I can’t swim to save my life.”

Seungcheol doesn’t say anything anymore, making the rest of the short trip in silence, mulling over the words Jihoon had uttered. The cold silence shakes Jihoon’s core, who feels like jumping off Seungcheol’s back then running off into oblivion – everything is turning weird again for him.

They’d arrived at the back porch of the house. The older gently sets Jihoon down onto one of the lazy chairs on the porch, giving him the house keys. His warm, welcoming eyes are replaced by a cold hard, look; making Jihoon shiver. It’s an abrupt change – the surfer who’d saved his life, and even gave him a piggyback ride home, had changed into a complete stranger – was it because of something he’d said?

“See you around.” The surfer gives him a half-smile, then like an enigma, walks away, leaving Jihoon alone, wondering what went wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel bad for writing this but it indicates a huge turning point in jicheol's relationship  
> feedback would be nice :]


	17. hit me, hit me up

I can’t swim, Jihoon had said.

Those three words haunt Seungcheol as he drives back to his little apartment.

Which idiot blunders into a series of surfing lessons then tells his instructor that he can’t swim after he almost dies drowning?

Lee Jihoon, that’s who.

From his confidence while practicing on the sand, Seungcheol wouldn’t have guessed that the blond couldn’t swim. Only when they got into the water Seungcheol noticed that Jihoon became more nervous, but that was normal for everyone. It wasn’t like Jihoon screamed bloody murder every time they approached the water, in fact, he’d been happily paddling around just the other day, getting used to his sweet spot. Sure, he’d been wary of going too far out into the ocean, but Seungcheol had taken precautions, taking him to safer depths. Jihoon’s a small person, so Seungcheol made sure that he didn’t go too far in as well.

It was partially his fault, too, for not asking before everything started; assuming that everyone could swim when his distant cousin Vernon had told him that a vlogger was asking for surf lessons.

Of course you need to know how to swim if you want to surf!

The surfer’s wondering whether even Soonyoung can swim too, as his parks his jeep by the roadside in front of his apartment building. He remembers that the vlogger had mentioned something about swimming with dolphins once, so he must know how. Still, it’s frustrating to know that one of his best students can’t even swim!

(Not that he gets many students, but by far, Jihoon’s the best. The others are a bunch five-year-old kids who don’t fully understand the joy of surfing, and find that building sandcastles is more fun, so it feels more like a weekly babysitting session instead of a surf lesson with those kids. Besides, those kids can barely swim, too…)

Seungcheol can’t put his finger on to exactly why Jihoon still went through with the surf lessons even though he’d admitted that he can’t swim. It must have something to do with fifth grade, that Soonyoung had mentioned earlier. Even though Seungcheol doesn’t know what exactly happened, but it must’ve affected Jihoon until now, relating to why he can’t swim. The surfer feels like smashing his head against a palm tree or something – he feels like a fool; for pushing Jihoon to surf, and for assuming that Jihoon could swim.

Seungcheol sighs, unlocking his apartment door with his board tucked under his arm. He’d left the beach quickly before Soonyoung or Jerry could interrogate him – it had been an abrupt farewell, but he wasn’t completely thinking straight at that moment. He’d also left Jihoon hanging, trying to wrap his head around the fact that Jihoon can’t swim.

Home, sweet home. Seungcheol gently places his board at its rightful place on the rack, amidst the other boards, then glances around his room. The blue blanket that he’d wrapped Jihoon in when he had stayed over the other night is folded neatly on the couch. Seungcheol clearly remembers the blond munching on pizza as he played video games, and a small smile creeps onto his face.

Lee Jihoon is certainly one of a kind – Seungcheol’s never met anyone quite like him.

He’s small and cute and reminds Seungcheol of home. He sees his younger self in Jihoon, arriving in a foreign country not knowing anyone. His determination and tenacity to do well in surfing, despite the jarring fact that could’ve risked his life, was the similar fire that Seungcheol had when he first started out. Seungcheol’s first few years in America had been trial and error, blundering around until he gets it right; and he doesn’t want Jihoon to do the same thing.

He wants Jihoon to feel comfortable and happy, though he’s not too sure how he can do that in his capacity as a surf instructor – there’s simply too many social barriers. He wants Jihoon to at least see him as a friend, and not just his surf instructor. He feels the need to protect the little guy; admiring his tenacity in practicing all the surf techniques he learnt. Besides, there’s something different about Jihoon that draws Seungcheol closer, and he’d like to know what it is, and he’d do anything for it.

So when Jihoon says he can’t swim, Seungcheol knows that he’s got to fix that.

He peels his wetsuit off, steps into the shower, and starts to formulate a plan.

* * *

“Hoonie.”

Soonyoung’s wary to approach his best friend, who’s sitting at the piano. The lid is open, revealing the black and white keys, waiting to be played.

Jihoon had been quiet throughout dinner, refusing to eat the kimbap that Soonyoung had ordered. Soonyoung highly suspects that it has something to do with his childhood trauma – drowning twice in a lifetime and surviving on both occasions surely would mess up with someone’s mind. Soonyoung figures that he’d give some space to Jihoon and talk to him first thing in the morning.

“Hoonie, I’ll be my room if you need me. And I’m sorry.” Soonyoung says gently.

Jihoon doesn’t reply, staring at the piano keys, facing away from his best friend.

“I’m going upstairs…” Soonyoung pretends to climb the stairs, stamping his feet on the lowest step, making the sounds as if he’d climbed all the way up when he really didn’t. The vlogger peeks around the wall into the living room, trying to conceal himself whilst spying on his best friend who’s sitting by the piano, much like a statue.

“Play something.” Soonyoung whispers to himself. He knows that music is the only way that Jihoon’s able to express himself. Suppressed from doing what he loves the most for years, Soonyoung thinks that his best friend must’ve bottled up his feelings for who knows how long. Soonyoung loves seeing Jihoon playing his self-written songs; he misses those days when they’d just hang out inside the music room at school – Soonyoung on the floor, tired and sweaty after dancing, while Jihoon would be armed with his guitar or sit at the piano, magically plucking out chords that wound into a beautiful song he’d written himself.

Soonyoung holds his breath in anticipation, holding his gaze onto Jihoon’s back. “Play something, play something, play something.”

As if entranced by Soonyoung’s little mutters, Jihoon lifts up a finger to the keys; and Soonyoung watches in anticipation.

A single note rings out throughout the room.

Middle C.

Then Jihoon slams this hands against the keys in frustration, producing a shockingly horrible sound, a cacophony of noises melded together in disarray.

Soonyoung almost jumps in surprise at the turn of events. He remembers watching the footage he’d recorded of their adventures in Los Angeles – Jihoon had been happy, laughing and cracking jokes. But things had been going downhill lately; and Soonyoung doesn’t know where it went wrong. Maybe he’d made a mistake, signing them both up for surfing classes when he perfectly knew that Jihoon wasn’t the best swimmer. He was supposed to help his best friend get over his quarter-life crisis, not worsen it. And this time, he doesn’t know how to fix things – he feels responsible for getting his best friend into a tangled mess. Jihoon is as miserable as ever, at a dead end at such a young age. Soonyoung wishes that Jihoon didn’t have to worry so much like an old man and simply enjoy his twenties.  

“Hoonie, I’m sorry.” Soonyoung whispers softly, though he knows that Jihoon won’t hear him.

Soonyoung glances back at Jihoon, who’s hunched over the piano keys, breathing heavily. It breaks his heart seeing his best friend so devastated, knowing he had a hand in causing it. He sighs, tip-toeing up the stairs, heading to his room like he promised Jihoon.

His laptop is waiting for him on the bed; a couple of memory cards scattered by it. Here’s another problem: Soonyoung’s too impatient to rewatch the footage and edit them, wanting the final product at once.

_“These things take time.” Wonwoo had said, when the two of them were sitting next to each other earlier that day, in the living room, staring at their laptops._

_Soonyoung sighed, leaning back. “I know. But can’t wait to see the final video!”_

_“You’re trying to squeeze a week’s worth of filming into a ten-minute video.” Wonwoo deadpanned, clicking away on his computer._

_“Maybe we could divide it into two parts?”_

_Wonwoo turned to the vlogger, his expression unreadable, as always. “You mean two ten-minute videos?”_

_“Or, you know, what you think is appropriate. You’re the pro here, buddy!” Soonyoung grinned, patting Wonwoo’s back._

_Wonwoo subtly rolled his eyes, and promptly returned to work._

Soonyoung’s glad that Wonwoo had agreed to help him go through some of the footage, bribing him with a full Korean barbecue. Soonyoung’s practically paying Wonwoo with food at this point, promising him any kind of cuisine that he wanted. Without Wonwoo, he wouldn’t be able to edit the videos for his vlog, and he’s grateful for that.

Even so, his laptop is beckoning for him to finish some work and get more minutes of footage out of the way. He doesn’t want to do it, of course, due to the tedious work. Another problem right in front of him, begone; when he hides his laptop and the memory cards in his backpack. Out of sight, out of mind….

Soonyoung doesn’t like to be plagued with troubles, always looking for a solution for them – that’s how he stays happy and carefree. But he knows, that running away from his worries at hand – the matter of trying to make a vlog for the very first time, in addition to his brooding best friend – isn’t a permanent solution, and he’ll have to face them sooner or later.

So in typical Soonyoung fashion, he sleeps on his problems.

* * *

“Thanks everyone. Have a good evening.” A gentle voice reverberates throughout the small café in downtown Los Angeles. The slim man on the stage smiles at the audience and takes a bow as they clap politely for him, before he climbs down the stage with his guitar. He makes his way towards a booth by the window, where his friend is waiting for him, sitting throughout his set at the open mic night. A young Hispanic girl replaces his spot on the stage, starting to croon softly about love.

“Nice set, Josh.” Seungcheol smiles at his friend, who slips into a seat across him. “Did you have to end the set with ‘Sunday Morning’?”

Joshua gently puts his guitar into its case, a small smile forming on his lips. “The crowd loves it. It’s like my thing now.”

Seungcheol sips his iced coffee, glancing at the girl on stage, listening to her nasally melodious voice. Joshua calls a waiter over, and orders a beverage for himself.

“Thanks for coming tonight, Cheol.”

“Nah, it’s no big deal.” Seungcheol shrugs, waving it off.

“You never come to any of my performances lately, so it’s a very big deal. And to think you drove all the way from Malibu…”

Seungcheol stares at Joshua’s face – his features are soft and delicate; big doe eyes that crinkle when he smiles, and copper-brown hair that flops over his forehead. He’s always well-kept, of course, being the future doctor that he is. Tonight he’s dressed down in a button-down and black jeans, while Seungcheol’s simply casual in a T-shirt and shorts, his hair still damp from his post-surf shower. He’d rushed over to the big city right after that eventful surf lesson, hoping that his plans to help Jihoon would go well; since Joshua plays a huge part in it.

Seungcheol and Joshua knew each other since the day they both started college, being roommates until graduation. Despite being different majors – Seungcheol being a drama major with a business minor; and Joshua in pre-med – the two of them got along fairly well. Joshua was the one who helped Seungcheol adjust in Los Angeles, helping him improve his English. Joshua’s parents are Korean, so it helped that he knew Seungcheol’s mother tongue. Now Joshua’s in medical school, while Seungcheol’s doing odd jobs waiting for his acting break; but they still keep in touch, being good friends.

Occasionally, Joshua joins open mic nights at this café in downtown Los Angeles, singing a set of songs, always starting or ending with Maroon 5’s _Sunday Morning_. He claims that performing helps alleviate his stress; delving into music, expressing himself creatively, away from the morbid pathology case studies he has to face every day.

When they were still in college, Seungcheol would study for his theory classes while Joshua performed onstage at this particular café. Seungcheol loves music, but he doesn’t have any musical talent to pick up an instrument as he likes, so he finds it amazing when he sees Joshua play his guitar; fingers flying over the strings and frets. He’d tried learning a few chords from Joshua, but eventually fell in love with surfing instead, taking it up as a hobby in college. Joshua’s soothing voice as he sings covers of popular English songs is calming, and Seungcheol can see that special Joshua effect on the audience. It’s one of the traits that makes Joshua an aspiring doctor – his mere presence calms people down, with his gentle looks and demeanour.

Only Seungcheol knows how weird Joshua can get, especially when he’s fanboying over anime.

The waiter returns to their booth with Joshua’s drink, and Joshua slips him a couple of dollars as a tip. Charitable Joshua, as always, Seungcheol thinks.

“What brings you here? I thought you were busy.” Joshua sips his latte.

Seungcheol clears his throat, wondering if he should explain the whole situation. His plan to help Jihoon was easy; he just needed Joshua’s swimming pool.

“So the quick version: I need to borrow your swimming pool.” Seungcheol knows that Joshua would help without question – his selflessness paved the way for him to care for patients.

“The real one in my backyard, or an inflatable one?”

A vivid image of Jihoon standing in a colourful inflatable pool with the water reaching up to his ankles appears in Seungcheol’s mind. The blond looks ridiculously adorable, and Seungcheol wants to tease and hug and protect him.

“The real one, obviously!” Seungcheol turns red, berating himself for the quick daydream.

“You’re lucky. My parents are in Switzerland until the end of the month, and I’ll be having classes, so I won’t be home.”

“So I get your whole house?”

“Under no circumstances that you are going to trash it. Don’t even think about throwing a party.”

“I won’t. I just need your pool.”

“I hope you use it what it’s supposed to be used for.” Joshua takes another sip of his drink, an innocent look on his face.

“It’s a decorative piece for a house overlooking the Pacific Ocean.” Seungcheol teases, knowing full well that Joshua’s parents are barely around their family house in Malibu; and Joshua, being an only child, is always cramming medical facts in his dorm room, only returning home on select weekends.

“I’ve swum in it before!” Joshua laughs. “When do you need it?”

Seungcheol looks at his friend with a serious expression. “Tomorrow.”

* * *

Jihoon finally climbs into bed, his head full of nothing but empty static. He’d lost track of time, sitting in front of the piano doing nothing. He’s tired and shocked and confused, mainly because of Seungcheol’s abrupt departure earlier, and the fact that he nearly drowned for a second time in his life.

He checks his phone one last time before he switches off the light, not expecting anything but work emails. Instead, there’s a notification for a text message from an unknown number. Jihoon’s about to delete it – it’s probably spam – but a little voice in his mind tells him to open it.

_I’ll pick you up at nine A.M. tomorrow. Be ready with your wetsuit. – Seungcheol x_


	18. i used to need wake up calls in the morning

Seungcheol pulls up in front of Jihoon and Soonyoung’s rented beach house five minutes before nine o’ clock. He takes a deep breath, unsure of himself – did Jihoon even read his message? He’d only managed to wrangle Jihoon’s number from Soonyoung late last night, right after his meeting with Joshua in downtown LA. Seungcheol had texted Soonyoung for Jihoon’s number to set his plan in motion. It had been a long wait until the vlogger had finally replied – Seungcheol managed to drop Joshua off at his dorm at UCLA driving back to Malibu when his phone had vibrated with a text notification from Soonyoung, giving him Jihoon’s contact.

Now he sits in his jeep, wondering if he’d made a rash decision. The house looks quiet – the two best friends are probably still asleep, or already out and about somewhere else. Three more minutes until nine AM; and Seungcheol tells himself that he’ll go and knock on the front door at nine on the dot. His heart’s thumping; still doubting his judgement, though he knows what he’s doing is right. It’s only that he doesn’t really know Jihoon as a person, only as a hardworking surf student who apparently can’t swim. Seungcheol remembers the time he invited Jihoon to that party held by one of his friends from college, but he couldn’t even talk to Jihoon properly, swept into a sea of people he barely knew from college. He only found a drunk Jihoon in a corner then took him home when he’d fainted, letting him sleep in his apartment for almost a whole day. And even then, he still didn’t get to know Jihoon better – they’re still practically strangers.

Well, he’s going to fix that.

Yesterday was eventful – Seungcheol’s CPR skills were needed on an unconscious Jihoon. But he didn’t want to take advantage of Jihoon that way, so he’d tried for their lips to touch as minimally as possible; and focused on saving Jihoon’s life, breathing in air into his lungs.

The most important thing was for Jihoon to be safe. Getting intimate with Jihoon can come later.

Seungcheol remembers that Soonyoung’s friend Wonwoo had filmed the whole episode – from the moment Jihoon had disappeared into the wave, then he’d dove underwater when Soonyoung started shouting frantically from the shore. It took him a second to find Jihoon, eyes closed, with his foot still attached to his surfboard; so Seungcheol had to swim over and take off his leash before he grabbed the unconscious Jihoon to resurface.

Seungcheol didn’t know when Jerry had joined him, helping him to heave Jihoon onto his own surfboard, then towing it back to shore.

At that point, Seungcheol was already panicking inside, though he managed to keep a cool exterior. He’s responsible for Jihoon, being his surf instructor – and when they finally reached the shore, Soonyoung rushed over, trying to shake some consciousness into his best friend.

_“He’s not breathing.” Jerry remarked, panting, as he threw Jihoon’s surfboard that he managed to salvage onto the sand._

_“HOONIE, WAKE UP!” Soonyoung shouted dramatically, shaking Jihoon’s shoulders as hard as he could. Wonwoo was silently filming the whole time, easily ignored in the face of an emergency._

_Jerry calmly took Soonyoung aside. “Soonyoung, that’s not helping. Jihoon needs CPR, like right now.”_

_Seungcheol can hear blood rushing in his ears, as he gently held on to Jihoon’s wrist to check for his pulse. It’s weak, almost barely there. Suddenly, that first aid course that he’d attended with Joshua in his junior year of college turned out to be useful – for some reason, he clearly remembered the segment on CPR._

_“I’ll try to do it,” Seungcheol said, not recognizing his own voice; looking at the almost lifeless Jihoon lying on the hot sand. His heart was pumping in overdrive, adrenaline in his veins after rescuing Jihoon from the strong waves. But there was no time to lose – this was a matter between life and death; so Seungcheol threw away his thoughts and quickly applied what he’d learnt. Soon enough, Jihoon regained consciousness, choking on the salty seawater he’d swallowed._

Jihoon’s safe now. That’s all that matters.

The surfer never had the chance to properly reflect yesterday’s events – he’d rushed all the way to downtown Los Angeles to meet up with Joshua, and then when he’d gotten back to his little apartment in Malibu, he had been too tired, falling asleep on the couch, clutching the blue blanket patterned with stars to his chest.

Now, thinking back with emotions attached – Joshua’s always said that you have to compartmentalize your emotions when saving lives, especially in the emergency room, because emotions interfere with rationalization – Seungcheol tries to justify his actions, despite his underlying wants. Sure, he wants to know Jihoon better; but he’d saved Jihoon as his surf instructor, since he was the one liable for his student. He’s battling himself – trying to keep the relationship strictly professional as possible; but there’s this nagging little voice at the back of his mind that keeps telling him that Jihoon is special; and Seungcheol wants to know what makes him so.

Jihoon’s pink lips invade his mind: soft and salty from the sea water. Little rosebuds.

Someone taps on his car window, breaking him out of his thoughts. It’s Soonyoung, wearing a worried expression.

Seungcheol rolls down the car window. “Is Jihoon fine?”

“He won’t talk to me. I think he’s sad. When he’s sad, I’m sad, too.” Soonyoung pouts.

This alarms Seungcheol even more, making him doubt his decisions. Maybe it’s too soon to execute what he’d planned, especially after all that trauma – he should’ve asked if Joshua knew a psychiatrist!

“Soonie, move aside.” Jihoon says from behind Soonyoung. He’s too small, hidden by his own best friend – Seungcheol didn’t even see him coming. The blond’s wearing a simple white T-shirt and shorts, layered with his wetsuit underneath.

Soonyoung immediately grabs his best friend, squishing his cheeks. “Hoonie! Are you okay? I haven’t seen you since last night!”

“Yeah, yeah. Go look at your footage, you still have a lot to go through.” Jihoon mutters uncomfortably, since Soonyoung is still holding his face. “Now let my face go.”

Soonyoung complies immediately, gaping at his best friend, who nonchalantly enters Seungcheol’s jeep. “Hello, Seungcheol.” Jihoon simply nods at the surfer.

“H-how are you?” Seungcheol stutters, almost surprised that Jihoon’s fairly normal. He’d expected a brooding mess, based on Soonyoung’s description, but here in the flesh, is a resilient Jihoon, ready to take on the day.

“I’m fine, thanks. Are we surfing today?” Jihoon glances to the backseat, noticing that Seungcheol’s surfboards aren’t there; only a lone duffel bag sitting in the corner.

“Nah. We’re doing something else.” Seungcheol smiles. If Jihoon wants to surf again, then it’s a good sign. “Soonyoung, we’ll see you later. Good luck with the footage!” Seungcheol waves, then pulls away, leaving Soonyoung behind by the sidewalk.

The vlogger’s dazed at their sudden departure, then a wild thought pops into his head.

“Wait, are you two going on a date?!”

* * *

Jihoon pretends that Soonyoung doesn’t exist, though his best friend’s parting words echo in his mind.

_A date._

Jihoon scoffs internally. That morning, he’d planned to stay in bed all day, or at least until Soonyoung’s being unbearable; but when he remembers Seungcheol’s text late last night, he immediately rolls out of his comfortable bed. It’s funny that he’d drop anything to hang out with Seungcheol, like he wasn’t affected by yesterday’s life-threatening events. He’d tucked that dark memory away; taking it as another lesson to learn – Jihoon resolved to become more careful when surfing, because remember: the water is lava.

Jihoon felt like a dud, telling his surf instructor that he can’t swim, and remembering Seungcheol’s unreadable expression scares him that he might not see Seungcheol ever again. The most important thing to him right now is that he’s with Seungcheol, despite their somewhat complicated relationship, whatever it is.

He’ll figure it out. Eventually.

The drive has been relatively quiet, and Jihoon hasn’t asked Seungcheol where they’re really going, since he’s keeping it a secret, a knowing smile on his lips. Seungcheol mainly focuses on the road, after asking Jihoon whether he’d eaten; and some Western pop songs play softly on the stereo. Jihoon hums along to them, glancing at the scenery outside – the green trees ease his eyes, and they seem to be going uphill. The little town of Malibu seems so far away, the buildings like tiny little houses on a toy set.

“We’re almost there.” Seungcheol informs as they turn around a corner. A huge gate looms ahead, opening when they approach. Seungcheol waves at the guard waiting at his point right by the entrance, and drives along a small paved road, heading towards the grand mansion that awaits them in the distance. Well-kempt shrubs line the road, bordering a lawn that reaches out to some trees in the distance. It’s all a magnificent setting – Jihoon’s reminded of Soonyoung’s family house back in Busan that could rival this Malibu mansion.

“Where is this?” Jihoon questions – as much as he trusts Seungcheol (the guy did save his life only yesterday), he can’t help but let his imagination go into overdrive. Soonyoung could be right – could this be a date, he thinks, as a soft blush creeps into his ears; or this could be straight up murder like in some crime movies. It’s a bit of a pretentious setting for a date, so he shakes his thoughts away and focuses on the greenery instead, deciding to just go with the flow.

“It’s just a friend’s house.” Seungcheol simply grins enigmatically as he pulls up at the driveway, right in front of the mahogany doors that’s probably about three Jihoons high.

“It’s nice.”

“We’re here.” Seungcheol kills the engine and exits his jeep, followed by Jihoon.

The surfer grabs his duffel bag from the backseat, while Jihoon looks up at the high pillars, admiring the subtle embellishments. This place is certainly much grander than the Kwons’ – they didn’t have little statues by the front door; much less a whole fountain in front of the driveway.

“Hello, Mr Choi. Young master Joshua told me you’d come by today.” A polished butler, with salt-and-pepper hair, wearing a full suit, greets them at the door.

“Thanks, Teddy. This is Jihoon, by the way.” Seungcheol introduces Jihoon to the butler, struck by the realisation that he doesn’t even know Jihoon’s last name; while Jihoon thinks that Choi Seungcheol is a really nice name.               

Jihoon bows politely to the butler, who bows back.

“You don’t mind if I park here?”

“No worries, Mr Choi. Just your keys, please.”

Seungcheol casually throws his car keys to Teddy, who easily catches them. The butler lets the pair enter the house, which seems even grander inside – there’s a set of double staircases leading to the first floor, with gleaming banisters. The marble floor shines so brightly that Jihoon can even see his own reflection in it – this isn’t a mansion, it’s a palace! The only thing it needs is a hallway full of painted portraits, and Jihoon won’t be surprised if it exists in this house.

“As usual, make yourself at home, Mr Choi. Welcome to the Hong residence, Mr Jihoon.” Teddy the old butler says, after he keeps Seungcheol’s car keys in a safe hidden behind a framed picture on the wall.

Jihoon nods absently, wondering how high the ceilings are, as his lips pucker up into an adorable little pout. There’s an air of emptiness in the atmosphere; as if the house is simply a house and not a home – there’s no signs of people living in it; it’s too quiet, like a museum. Soonyoung’s house at least had an air of life in it; though both houses are simply too big for Jihoon’s personal taste.

“We’ll be using the pool today.” Seungcheol tells the butler.

“I’ve been informed. This way, please.” Teddy leads them through a hallway adorned with oil paintings of landscapes to an airy sitting room with ceiling-to-floor windows on one side, offering a breathtaking view of the swimming pool outside, overlooking the majestic blue Pacific Ocean. Unlike the rest of the house, the room is casual and cosy, with sofas and throw pillows and a large bookshelf taking up one whole wall. Seungcheol used to hang out in that room with Joshua on weekends during their freshman year, doing nothing – incidentally, it’s his favourite room.

Jihoon gasps at the shiny black grand piano in the corner, instinctively floating over to it. He runs his fingers over the polished wood, but retracts his hand when he notices Seungcheol watching him with a smile on his face.

Teddy clears his throat. “Lunch will be served at one o’clock.”

“No need, Teds, man.” Seungcheol replies.

“Ah, but Young Master Joshua insists. The menu will be fresh seafood, and cake for dessert.”

“Can’t say no to cake.” Seungcheol grins at Jihoon. Jihoon’s overwhelmed with the whole setting – the sheer luxury of the mansion pulls him in; it’s like one of his daydreams came true, so he’s practically gaping at every single thing. “Ah, the first time I came here, I was amazed too, Jihoon.”

“Do you need anything else?” The butler asks, always polite.

Seungcheol thinks for a while, then glances at Teddy. “I need a bicycle pump.”

“Alright, I’ll be right back.” The old butler disappears discreetly, without questioning Seungcheol.

Once Teddy leaves, Jihoon looks at his surf instructor. “Care to explain what’s going on?”

Seungcheol’s already sitting on the furry carpet on the floor, unpacking his duffel bag to reveal several colourful, uninflated floats. “This is my friend Joshua’s house, and today, I’m going to teach you how to swim.”

Jihoon exhales heavily. He’s still not sure about his stance on swimming, though he needs that skill if he wants to surf properly. He likes surfing, but not being able to swim is the main reason why he’s stopping himself from venturing out into the ocean in the first place. And here Seungcheol is offering to teach him how to swim; without him even asking for it. He decides to do it, since he’s already here and there’s no backing out from it.

Jihoon tries to convince himself that it’ll all be okay since it’s only a swimming pool where there are no waves, and Seungcheol will be there, too. Though over his dead body that he’ll be using the childish floats Seungcheol had brought along – is that a unicorn-shaped floatie?

“Here you go, Mr Choi.” Teddy suddenly appears with a bicycle pump, just as what Seungcheol had requested for. “I might suggest that you move this activity outdoors, since it’ll be more appropriate.” The old butler adds, already collecting the floats. Seungcheol helps the old butler and they head to the swimming pool, which is right outside.

Jihoon follows Seungcheol and Teddy through the French doors outside. The swimming pool is huge, possibly bigger than his own apartment in Seoul. The water is blue and static, and the ocean breeze blows gently. The Hong residence is atop a cliff overlooking Malibu, giving an excellent view of the little town as well as the wide Pacific in front of them, which stretches to no end. The surrounding trees gives the house a sense of privacy. The lawn is well-kept, and for some reason Jihoon can imagine Jerry and Thomas and Soonyoung playing volleyball on it, running around like little kids. There’s even a trampoline further out in the backyard, and Jihoon tests it out, bouncing to his heart’s content.

He feels like he’s six years old again, flying in the air, so carefree, like he can touch the sky.

When he was six, he thought that he could do anything he wanted in the world. Now, almost twenty years later, he’s grown much older and jaded – what’s stopping him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I envisioned Joshua's mansion to be based off the house they did the photoshoot/teasers for Al1...


	19. how to not drown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon learns how to swim.

Seungcheol’s still trying to pump air into the numerous floaties he’d brought – maybe there’s too many, considering that he’s teaching only one person, not a full class of children. But he’d been indecisive, wondering which one Jihoon would like, so he’d packed them all. Maybe he’ll use the pink donut floatie – it’ll look adorable; and Seungcheol grins to himself at the thought.

He takes turns with Joshua’s old butler Teddy, working hard to inflate all the floaties so that Jihoon can pick one soon and start their swimming lesson. Seungcheol’s glad that Jihoon’s fine, considering that he’d almost died drowning yesterday. Jihoon hasn’t said anything against his suggestion, so Seungcheol knows it’s safe to proceed with his plans.

The surfer glances over to see Jihoon bouncing on the trampoline, with the happiest expression on his face, laughing to himself. Seungcheol’s never seen anyone that happy – Jihoon has the cutest eyesmile! -  and he vows to do anything, whatever it takes, to keep that smile on the blond’s face.

Teddy’s still wrestling with a couple more floaties, and insists to do it on his own. Seungcheol knows better, and lets him do it, despite the funny image of a man in a formal suit trying to inflate colourful floaties. The surfer drifts over to Jihoon, who’s now attempting somersaults on the trampoline; then lands on his back, his laughter echoing throughout the compound.

A fond grin forms on Seungcheol’s face as he approaches Jihoon, who’s still lying on his back on the trampoline, breathless from his bouncy workout.

“Fun, isn’t it? It’s a good stress reliever.” Seungcheol says, stepping on the trampoline.

Jihoon looks up at Seungcheol, a wide grin still on his face. The older man squats down right next to him, almost toppling over on the elastic surface onto Jihoon’s lying form, but he manages to keep his balance.

“Jihoonie, are you okay after what happened yesterday?”

The smile on the blond’s face disappears as smoothly as the words that slip out of Seungcheol’s mouth. He looks directly into Seungcheol’s deep brown eyes, which are full of concern; then looks away, unable to hold Seungcheol’s intense gaze, and scrutinises the surfer’s full lips instead, which look soft and highly kissable -

Oh.

“If you don’t want to go into the water today, it’s fine; we can look for something else to do. But I really want to teach you how to swim.”

Jihoon looks up at the canvas of the blue sky above – it’s an impossibly brilliant blue, as if someone had painted it. He senses the sincerity in Seungcheol’s voice.

Jihoon musters all of his courage and glances at Seungcheol again, focusing on his nose instead. “Let’s do it.”

He’s had too many bad incidents in the water; it’s time he had some good ones, so this would be a nice start to it.

Seungcheol smiles widely at his agreement, his dimples in full gear. “Nice!” He holds out a hand to help Jihoon up, and Jihoon takes it. His hand feels small compared to the surfer’s, but somehow it fits perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle. 

“I have so many things prepared for you today.” Seungcheol’s excited, like a little child; as the two of them walk back together to the pool area. Teddy’s standing by the pile of floaties, nodding at the pair as they approach. He seems to be done inflating them all, and it looks like a garage sale of floaties by the pool. Jihoon scrunches his nose when he sees the pile – he has an idea of what’s about to happen, and it’s going to be ridiculous.

Seungcheol rushes over to the pile and picks up a bright yellow floatie. “You get to pick one! I brought them all, since I didn’t know which one you’d like. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Is that a duck floatie?” Jihoon looks warily to the item that Seungcheol’s holding. It even has a duck head and little wings.

“Cute, isn’t it? Wanna try it?”

Jihoon rummages through the pile of floaties, most which are fit for children; with its obnoxiously bright colours and fun designs.

“Don’t you have a kickboard?”

“Nope, sorry.”

Jihoon remembers his little blue kickboard he’d used when he was younger. It had been good times, except for the last lesson before Soonyoung had suggested that they quit. That little kickboard had been his lifeline throughout that one particular summer of swimming lessons.

Jihoon tries again. “Don’t you have anything more inconspicuous?”

“I teach kids sometimes, so these mostly work on them.” Seungcheol shrugs.

Jihoon wonders if he looks like a child to Seungcheol, but it’s hard to be mad at the older guy when he’s wearing that easy smile on his face; so he sighs inwardly, hoping that he doesn’t have to end up using the pink donut.

“Oh, hang on, someone’s calling me. Just pick one, then we can start our lesson.” Seungcheol pulls his phone out of the pocket of his shorts and answers the call.

Teddy subtly leans over to whisper to Jihoon. “There’s a pair of arm bands over there, Mr Jihoon, I think it fits your preference.”

“Thanks.” Jihoon easily finds the arm bands - they’re just plain white. Teddy nods back at him as Jihoon inspects them thoroughly, just in case there’s some secret fancy colourful design hidden somewhere.

“Yes, Soonyoung, he’s fine, he’s not crying, don’t worry.” Seungcheol says into his phone, throwing a quick glance at Jihoon. He looks fine, so far. “Fine, I’ll give the phone to him – “

Seungcheol instantly loses his words when he turns around sees the tiny Jihoon already prepared for his swimming lesson. He’s wearing his usual slick black-and-red wetsuit, with white arm floaties fitted perfectly on each of his arms - they look like fluffy marshmallows stuck onto his limbs. He stands awkwardly with his arms lifted – much like a penguin – with an unsure look on his face, lips upturned into a little pout.

“That’s so cute.” He mutters, forgetting that Soonyoung is still on the line.

“What’s cute?” Soonyoung asks.

“Jihoonie, he’s wearing arm bands.”

“CHEOL-HYUNG YOU’VE GOT TO TAKE A PHOTO!” Soonyoung screams for the world to hear, momentarily making Seungcheol deaf for a while. Teddy raises his eyebrows in amusement, while Jihoon shakes his head in embarrassment, hoping that he’ll melt into the cemented floors and disappear.

“Alright, alright, I’ll do it now. Don’t worry too much, Soonyoung, I’ll take care of him.” Seungcheol reassures the vlogger before he hangs up.

“May I?” Teddy appears right by Seungcheol’s side, holding his hand out for Seungcheol’s phone. “I’ll snap the photograph so that you and Mr Jihoon can be in it together.”

The surfer hesitates for a moment while he digests Teddy’s words; then practically skips over to Jihoon’s side, with the dorkiest smile on his face, all gums and dimples. Jihoon has no choice but to play along for the camera, with a tiny smile, trying to contain himself as Seungcheol casually throws an arm over his shoulders.

Teddy captures a few photos with a tiny smile on his face, clearly amused by Seungcheol, who keeps changing his exaggerated poses. Once he’s done, he hands the phone back to its owner, who’s delighted by the end results.

Jihoon wonders how he looks like in the photos, though he doesn’t really care. He takes a seat on one of the sun loungers, under the shade of an umbrella, and fiddles with his neatly folded clothes; trying not to regret his life decisions. Seungcheol’s like a diluted version of Soonyoung; still full of excited energy, though on a lesser degree. It’s a new side of the surfer that he’s seeing, up until now, he’s always gotten the professional, aloof side of him.

“I’ll send these over to Soonyoung right now!” Seungcheol gushes, tapping on his phone.

Once he’s done, Teddy holds out his hand for the device once more. “I’ll keep your phone in the safe, Mr Choi.” Seungcheol easily surrenders his phone to the butler, thanking him; then the butler walks over to Jihoon.

“Any valuables, Mr Jihoon? I’ll keep them in the safe.” Teddy asks the blond in a low voice. Jihoon empties his pockets of his phone and his wallet, handing them over to the butler with a grateful smile. “I’ll take care of them, Mr Jihoon, don’t worry. Good luck with the lesson. And do remember to shower before and entering the pool, gentlemen.” Teddy nods politely towards the outdoor pool shower nearby, then quickly slips back into the house through the French doors.

Jihoon mumbles another thanks – he’s definitely not used to having someone waiting on him for his every need. He sighs, ready to take on the day – he’s really not looking forward to the lesson while he’s equipped with these ridiculous marshmallows on his arms.

“Hey Jihoonie, are you ready?” Seungcheol calls out, and Jihoon turns to look.

Seungcheol’s standing at the edge of the swimming pool, in all of his shirtless glory. His swimming trunks are hanging dangerously low on his hips, almost teasing. The faint outline of washboard abs and rock-hard pectorals just shows how unfair life is – he already has a handsome face, and an amazing body? Worse, he’s not embarrassed to flaunt it, and Jihoon wants to drown himself in the swimming pool. Or maybe he’d really died in the ocean yesterday, and this is heaven, and Seungcheol is a half-naked angel with an incredible body that looks like it’s been sculpted by God himself. So to answer Seungcheol’s question, no, he’s not ready for _this_.

Jihoon blinks once, then twice, instinctively touching his nose just in case it’s bleeding – the weather’s pretty hot, and Seungcheol’s current appearance isn’t really helping. The surfer simply smirks, then saunters over to the edge of the swimming pool; easily entering the water, which only reaches his waist, being the shallow end of the pool. He waves Jihoon over, and makes the blond sit by the edge of the pool, dangling his feet into the water.

“I should’ve done this during your first surfing lesson.” Seungcheol sighs in regret. “I’m going to ask you a few questions about your swimming experience, just to gauge how I’m going to work with you.”

“Shoot.” Jihoon likes the cool water, and he kicks his feet around, making little waves.

“Can you swim?”

“No. I’ve had swimming lessons before but that obviously didn’t end well.”

“Can you at least tread water?”

“Yes, but I don’t really remember how.”

“Are you afraid of water?”

Jihoon swallows, but his throat is dry. “I’m fine around it.” He’s not too sure how to explain it either – being around water’s fine, but his skin prickles thinking about the suffocating sensation when water fills his lungs. He also hates the uncertainty of not knowing the depth of pools – with the ocean it’s impossible to determine – mainly due to his small stature, he had always avoided the deeper end of pools because he couldn’t touch the floor with his feet.

Seungcheol thinks about it for a moment. Jihoon had been adamant about ‘never wiping out’ during his surfing lessons. He knows that there’s something Jihoon’s not telling him – fifth grade – but he’ll find out in due time, once Jihoon trusts him enough to share.

“Today I’m just going to get you comfortable in the water. Jump in.” Seungcheol says, swimming backwards, a slight distance away from the wall. “Our goal today is to reach the other end of the pool. The deep end.” He points over to the far end.

Jihoon slowly slips into the pool; where he can stand in it, and the water reaches his abdomen. If this is the shallow end, then the deep end could fully submerge him. He sincerely hopes that the arm floaties would live up to its use, having drowned twice in his lifetime.

“Try to float over to me.” Seungcheol instructs.

“Is it deep?” Jihoon looks over to the surfer cautiously, noticing that the water reaches his chest.  

“That’s for you to find out.” Seungcheol grins, pushing his wet hair back. 

Jihoon starts to float over to the surfer, making sure that his feet are planted firmly on the the bottom of the swimming pool. As he ventures further from the side of the pool, the water level rises, inching closer to his nose; giving him a sense of suffocation. He’s simply wading in the pool, arms splayed out wide thanks to the buoyancy of his white arm bands, and the drag caused by the water slows his movements, and he’s not getting any closer to Seungcheol.

The blond’s waded out to the middle of the pool where he’s already on his tiptoes, the water up to his neck. Seungcheol’s still a distance away, smiling at him while treading water.

“Are you drifting away from me?”

“…maybe. Hey, at least you can judge your distance well. That’s useful.” Seungcheol says. “Come on, I know you can do it.”

“It’s getting too deep.”

“Try treading water. Stop standing on the floor, and let yourself float. Your arm floaties will help you.” The surfer advises, still a little miffed that Jihoon didn’t opt for the pink donut float he thought that he’d like; though the white marshmallows made up for it.

“Don’t go away. Stay there.” Jihoon grits his teeth. He takes one foot off the pool floor, balancing himself in the water only on one toe. He tries to remember how to tread water like how his old coach taught him, but he doesn’t dare to move his arms, only kicking one leg. _“_

 _"Treading water helps you to stay afloat in water. Keep your arms and legs moving, and make sure you keep your breathing normal.”_ His former coach’s voice echoes in his mind, back to the day when he’d been taught how to tread water. Only that right now, Jihoon’s not doing anything he’d learned, still in the awkward position of trying to keep his toes on the swimming pool floor; arms outstretched on the surface of the water, and almost hyperventilating.

Someone’s fingers suddenly intertwine with his, and Jihoon pops his eyes open – he didn’t even realise that he’d closed them in the first place. It’s Seungcheol, who’d drifted over to him during his forced attempt to tread water – the blond hasn’t moved an inch himself. He stops breathing all at once, staring at Seungcheol, who has an easy smile on his face.

“You’re working really hard, Jihoonie. But you’d better keep your eyes open when you tread water.” Seungcheol swims lazily back to the shallow end, towing a blushing Jihoon along with him. “I hope you don’t mind spending time with me, because we’re gonna go back to basics.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHOI SEUNG CHEOL!!!!!!!!!
> 
> that's all i have to say.
> 
> feedback would be nice; it'll give me motivation to complete this fic c:
> 
> oh yeah and the next two chapters focuses a bit more on soonwoo c:


	20. professional at work

Soonyoung’s sitting at the kitchen island, his laptop propped up in front of him. He’d just gotten off a phone call with Seungcheol, having the sudden urge to find out the progress of the surfer’s ‘date’ with Jihoon. Late last night, Seungcheol had asked him for Jihoon’s number, and he’d replied, half asleep. Soonyoung barely remembered the conversation until he spied Seungcheol’s car by the sidewalk that morning, and quickly bounded over to meet the surfer to find out what’s going on.

Jihoon had quickly left with Seungcheol right after that, giving no indication of being sad like he’d been last night.

Soonyoung’s brain had quickly concluded the whole thing as a date since the both of them were being secretive about it. Glad that his best friend is socialising, he skips inside, opening up his laptop to get some work done as Jihoon had reminded him earlier.

As usual, Soonyoung reaches a dead end once he starts, surfing the internet for useless things, then calls Seungcheol out of curiosity. Apparently Jihoon’s fine, and Seungcheol’s going to teach him how to swim. Soonyoung’s a bit peeved that he wasn’t invited along; but just then, his phone vibrates, notifying him of an incoming message.

Seungcheol’s sent him a couple of photos; and Soonyoung quickly taps on them, then waits for them to load. The vlogger squeals when the photo fills the entire screen of his phone: it’s Jihoon in his wetsuit, complete with white floaties attached to his arms, looking awkward with a little uncertain smile; and a smirking Seungcheol, posing with his fingers curled up into a V sign, added with an arm comfortably nestled around Jihoon’s shoulders. Seungcheol had been right when he’d said that Jihoon looked cute; and he hopes that the surfer is still alive because no one gets away with calling Jihoon cute.  

Soonyoung peeks another look at the photo and grins from ear to ear, knowing that he has more content to use against his best friend; added with the baby photo of a butt naked Jihoon that he keeps in his wallet (which he’d shown to tons of strangers around the world).  Anyway, Soonyoung thinks that the pair look really adorable, too; and Jihoon doesn’t look murderous in a photo for once. Soonyoung’s definitely saving it into his phone, and he makes a mental note to make several copies later, and maybe post it on his social media because why not?

The doorbell rings, and Soonyoung quickly runs to the front door, with no qualms about leaving his work.

It’s Wonwoo, who stares blankly at him. He’d promised Soonyoung that he’d come over again that morning so that they can get some more work done. Of course, Wonwoo looks like he’d rather watch paint dry than spend the morning reviewing Soonyoung’s endless footage, but he’d never go back on a promise; and it had taken him an hour to convince himself to turn up at Soonyoung’s – it takes a great deal of patience to tolerate the vlogger; so he takes a deep breath -

“LOOK AT HOONIE AND CHEOL-HYUNG!” Soonyoung practically shoves his phone into Wonwoo’s face in all of the sudden; knocking the device onto Wonwoo’s nose, making his glasses crooked.

Hurricane Soonyoung is here.

Wonwoo can’t even see what Soonyoung is trying to show him, so he pastes a thin smile onto his lips. “There’s no need to shout,” The lanky guy quips, wiping some of Soonyoung’s saliva off his cheek; then corrects the position of his glasses. “I can hear you just fine.”

“Look at them! Hoonie is c-u-t-e, and only I can say that because I’m his best friend since forever, and Cheol-hyung looks so happy; I’m gonna die.” Soonyoung bounces.

“Please do.” Wonwoo mutters, hoping that if Soonyoung does drop dead, he doesn’t have to go through this anymore; but then it’d be a hassle trying to explain to the cops that he’s innocent…

 Soonyoung is still waving his phone in his face, and he manages to catch a glimpse of the photograph that Soonyoung is screaming about. So Jihoon and Seungcheol the surfer are together in one photo, what’s the big deal? Wonwoo isn’t terribly close with either of them, so it doesn’t really matter to him, if they’re happy, good for them.

“I’m so happy for Hoonie!” Soonyoung practically twirls in the hallway, and Wonwoo lets himself in.

“So I’m assuming that Jihoon is fine.” Wonwoo settles down in the living room as Soonyoung stares at his phone again, giggling. The bespectacled man vividly remembers yesterday’s episode – he’d even caught it on film. Surprisingly, he’d stayed calm throughout, and he’d transferred the footage into his laptop last night. He’s not sure whether to delete it; just in case it triggers anyone involved, especially Jihoon, so he’d saved it into a folder in his computer.

Wonwoo quickly sets up his equipment, preparing himself for a few more hours with Soonyoung. He’d pulled his weight and done his part, eager to spend less time with energetic Soonyoung – sure, the guy may be fun, but he’s not really Wonwoo’s preferred type of passive fun; and Wonwoo drains a lot of energy trying to keep up with the vlogger.

“Hey, Soonyoung. I’ve edited some of the footage from the first two days.” Wonwoo calls out.

In an instant, Soonyoung’s already seated right by his side, a little too close for comfort.

“The first two days of ‘Soonie and Hoonie’s LA adventure’, compressed into eight and a half minutes.” Wonwoo announces, with a slight proudness in his chest. Truth be told, even though it had been a taxing job reviewing the footage, Wonwoo had been amused, watching Soonyoung and Jihoon’s antics around Los Angeles. Wonwoo presses play on his laptop, and the two of them are transported back to the moment Jihoon had landed at LAX a while ago. 

 _‘Say hi to the camera, Hoonie!’_ Onscreen Soonyoung is saying, pointing the camera to his jet-lagged best friend; and Soonyoung and Wonwoo are absorbed into moments that happened about a week ago.

“I can’t believe you lost a grown man on Hollywood Boulevard.” Wonwoo snorts, as the screen shows a frantic Soonyoung wandering around, calling for his best friend in English and Japanese.

“Things happen.” Soonyoung turns red, stifling giggles as he watches himself on the screen. Wonwoo’s done a brilliant job; each cut transitioning seamlessly into each other, and Soonyoung feels like he’s watching a real travel vlog. The smile on his face widens as he watches himself venture around Los Angeles with his best friend, seeing the sights and sampling the food, and by the end of it, he feels touched. It’s a job well done, and Wonwoo’s doing this without any pay – he’s a gem.

“I love you, Wonwoo!” Soonyoung throws his arms around Wonwoo’s neck once the video finishes playing.

Wonwoo stiffens at the sudden embrace, then silently counts to three. “You can let go now.”

“I feel so touched!” Soonyoung dabs his eyes. “It looks so professional.”

“I _am_ a professional.” Wonwoo deadpans. “I do it for a living.”

Soonyoung suddenly scrambles to his feet, motivated by Wonwoo’s handiwork. “I can see it now – it can be a series! ‘Soonie and Hoonie’s LA Adventure’. And there would be colourful and witty captions! Maybe we could have a theme song too. I wonder if Hoonie can write it; then it can be the perfect collab…” Soonyoung starts daydreaming, gesturing wildly. “What if we hit it big? Then Hoonie and I can continue travelling together; I’m thinking of going to New Zealand next…”

Wonwoo simply listens to Soonyoung’s rambles, wondering what it’s like to be the vlogger for a day. He doesn’t know Soonyoung that well, only that he’s always excited, and simply adores his best friend Jihoon to no end. There must be a lot of things going on his mind, Wonwoo thinks, like a hamster fuelled with lots of carrots. That’s his perception of the vlogger – he even looks like one, with his squishy cheeks. He wonders if he could poke them – would they deflate like a punctured balloon, or would it feel as squishy as a marshmallow?

“I’ve reviewed the recent footage as well,” Wonwoo says, clearing his throat, once he finds a break in Soonyoung’s monologue. “I only need to edit it, but I can’t do that without the footage from day three onwards. Those are with you.”

“Oh.” Soonyoung slumps back down onto the couch; dragged back down from his high. He doesn’t know how to tell Wonwoo that he’d barely made a dent in them – the memories are still fresh in his mind, so he doesn’t feel the need to watch them. “Uh, it’s coming along slowly…”

Wonwoo raises an eyebrow, then turns back to his laptop, resuming his own work.

“I’ll buy you another steak if you help me, Wonwoo, please, oh please…” Soonyoung starts begging shamelessly, a tactic that Wonwoo doesn’t know how to get himself out of. Cold stares make the vlogger beg even more; so Wonwoo has no other choice but to agree with him. Wonwoo reminds himself to ask Jihoon about handling Soonyoung; he’s sure that the small blond has his ways to survive, having known Soonyoung his whole life.

“Fine.” Wonwoo sighs, giving in (yet again) to Soonyoung. Soonyoung claps excitedly and collects his belongings from the kitchen, making himself comfortable right next to Wonwoo.

Wonwoo ends up doing everything, since Soonyoung can’t keep still, leaving the room too many times to grab snacks from the fridge. He decides to do it all as Soonyoung prances around the living room after too many sodas, dramatically dancing to a Korean ballad; to which Wonwoo sings softly to.

Soonyoung suddenly settles his face onto Wonwoo’s shoulder, catching the latter off guard. “Were you singing?”

“No.” Wonwoo denies flatly, slightly surprised at Soonyoung’s sudden appearance. Wasn’t he just jumping around across the room – how did he latch onto his shoulder in a split second?

“I love this song. It’s by my favourite singer.” Soonyoung ninja-rolls over to his laptop. Wonwoo secretly thinks that Soonyoung is probably semi-liquid, with the flexible way he moves. “Lee Dokyeom.” Soonyoung pronounces. “Honey voice, chiselled looks. Incredible falsettos.” The vlogger tries a high note, trying to imitate the singer, but his voice cracks; while Wonwoo tries to hide a smile.

Soonyoung immediately picks onto it, like he has some kind of innate smile detector. “You smiled!” He gasps dramatically. “I’ve never seen you smile.”

“No, I was about to sneeze.” Wonwoo rubs his nose. Soonyoung doesn’t even believe him for a moment, and decides to drop the topic, suspecting that Wonwoo would forever deny it anyway, judging from the blush creeping up his neck.

“Anyway, Lee Dokyeom is unbelievable. He’s like the sun when he smiles; I can’t believe his agent hasn’t gotten him an endorsement deal for toothpaste.” Soonyoung continues rambling on about the singer for another ten minutes, like the time he went to a concert in Singapore. Wonwoo makes listening noises at appropriate intervals as he works on the footage that Soonyoung was supposed to review, with a slight tinge of jealousy that Soonyoung’s heralding the singer so much, for a person that he barely knows.

Wonwoo doesn’t sing along to any more of the songs that Soonyoung plays for the next two hours. No one ever catches him singing softly, even if he does it unconsciously, singing to whatever song is playing, whether out loud or in his head. Wonwoo’s not a trained singer, but he simply likes it. It makes him feel vulnerable, when Soonyoung caught him singing earlier – it’s like one of his secret hobbies. Jeon Wonwoo is an extremely private person, and not even his colleagues at work know who he really is; only as a hardworking video editor who’s slowly rising in Hollywood, after a commendable project completed in Korea. Somehow, he’s letting his guard down around this human hamster, and he doesn’t like it one bit. Curse you, Kwon Soonyoung, for being adorably stupid and approachable.

Eventually, Soonyoung starts moaning about being hungry, after having a solo dance party to all the songs on his playlist (most of which were by Shinee, his absolute favourite band) and starts pestering Wonwoo to stop doing his work.

“Wonwoo, I’m hungryyyyyyyyyyyyy.” Soonyoung makes a sad face, resting his chin on the coffee table.

Wonwoo thinks if this is what it’s like having a child. “I’m almost done editing the cuts; if you’ll wait a bit more, I can already finish this video.”

“My tummy is sad.” Soonyoung mumbles, as his stomach rumbles.

Wonwoo presses his lips together tightly, clicking furiously, trying to contain his patience. A bit more, and he’ll be done.

“Wonwoooooooo.”

Wonwoo still wonders why he accepted this job in the first place.

“Hungyyyyyyyyyyy.”

A generic ringtone blares out throughout the room, and Soonyoung jumps up, thinking that it’s his.

“That’s mine.” Wonwoo grabs his mobile phone, with his eyes still glued to his computer screen. He answers the phone call, while Soonyoung flops onto the couch, sighing from boredom and hunger.

“I wonder what Hoonie and Cheol-hyung are doing.” The vlogger mutters to himself. He glances towards Wonwoo, who’s now absorbed in his phone call, speaking with an urgent tone; then his eyes flick over to his own phone lying on the farthest end of the coffee table – he’s got this sudden urge to call Jihoon and ask him about his swimming lesson, but he can’t be bothered to get his phone because he’s running out of energy. So he stares blankly at the ceiling for a few minutes, thinking that he’s going to die starving, as Wonwoo concludes his call.

“I’ll be there this afternoon. See you later.” Wonwoo puts his phone down, and resumes editing the video.

“Sooooooooo, who was that?” Soonyoung asks out of curiosity, dragging his syllables unnecessarily.

Wonwoo sighs. “Work call.”

Silence for a few more minutes, apart from some more quick clicking and typing from Wonwoo’s side.

Soonyoung hums tunelessly. “Do you want to go for lunch?”

“I’ve got to get to LA for work by two-thirty.”

Soonyoung checks the clock, there seems to be enough time to grab lunch with Wonwoo – he certainly doesn’t want to eat by himself. “I’ll buy you that steak that I promised.”

Wonwoo shuts his laptop and looks at Soonyoung.

“Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first peek at soonwoo! 
> 
> (my first time writing this pair so constructive feedback appreciated, as always)
> 
> next chapter will also be soonwoo :)


	21. movies aren't magic and so is life

Wonwoo knows it’s a mistake agreeing to Soonyoung, but food is food, and food is love, and he’d been working hard all morning on the requested video. He doesn’t tell Soonyoung that he’d actually finished compiling the second video, otherwise, he’d still be stuck in the house until tomorrow, possibly.

Soonyoung had offered to drive, all the way from Malibu back to the City of Angels. Of course, Wonwoo had tried to decline, thinking that they’d go for lunch in the little surf town before he leaves Soonyoung to go to work, but Soonyoung is as persistent than ever.

“How am I going to get back?” Wonwoo mutters, strapping himself in the passenger seat of Soonyoung’s blue Audi. Uber or a cab would cost him a lot – he’d walked over to Soonyoung’s that morning, and in retrospect, he should have driven the three blocks that separated their houses so that he could’ve escaped easily, but no, he _just_ had to be healthy and walk over. Now he’s in a bind, and he doesn’t know how to get out of it; but on the flip side, he’s saving money on petrol, and getting free food out of it, anyway…  

“I’ll hang around LA with you! I’ve really got nothing else to do, and I don’t know when Hoonie will get back.” Soonyoung smiles so widely that his eyes disappear.

Of all the ideas in the world, that’s the worst one Wonwoo’s ever heard. Wonwoo really doesn’t want to babysit Soonyoung for the rest of the day; and he doesn’t need the human hamster shadowing him around while he works. Besides, it would be a pain to explain to his colleagues about Soonyoung – it’s not Take a Stranger to Work Day!

Soonyoung’s practically speeding on the freeway, and they arrive in the city about forty minutes later. Back in the bustling city, a contrast to the sleepy surfer town of Malibu, Wonwoo lives for the glamorous, fast-paced lifestyle of the Angelinos. Maybe he should move to New York next, but job opportunities are scarce even for someone at his level, even if he’s incredibly talented.

Wonwoo’s not listening to Soonyoung, who’s been talking the whole way as he drives – he’s really anxious about dragging the vlogger around the studio that he’s working at. Negative thoughts cloud his brain as he follows Soonyoung into a restaurant packed with people – it’s lunchtime, after all – and sits down across the vlogger like an automaton who’s more worried about the person in front of him, rather than the problem that pulled him back to work in the first place.

But at the sight of food, he forgets all of his concerns and simply digs into the steak-frites Soonyoung had ordered for him. The vlogger grins, watching Wonwoo devour the meat like he’d been deprived of it for years.

Wonwoo realises that Soonyoung’s watching him eat, so he takes conscious, smaller bites, wiping sauce off his chin.

“Food’s good?”

Wonwoo nods. It’s exactly the kind of food he likes – high quality meat, and a bit of carbs and veg on the side. The tenderness of the steak, doused with the rich taste of its sauce produces an explosion of flavours on Wonwoo’s tongue, and he doesn’t have the words to describe it. All that he knows is that it’s a far cry from the processed food he’s been consuming to survive lately, and he appreciates it. 

“So. Where do you work?” Soonyoung asks conversationally.

“I choose not to answer that.” Wonwoo replies.

Soonyoung taps his chin lightly with his fork, deep in thought. “Are you a spy? Like James Bond?”

“No!” Wonwoo chokes on his fries. He quickly gulps down his drink to ease the food bolus down his throat. “Nothing like that.”

“I won’t be surprised if you are. You seem pretty good with computers, like you can maybe hack…”

Wonwoo doesn’t have the heart to pop Soonyoung’s bubble – he’s only good with video editing software, and has absolutely no idea how to hack – hell, he can’t even figure out his little brother’s computer password!

“And you have that kind of spy vibe, maybe if you wore a suit then it’ll all be real.” Soonyoung grins. “Wait. Are you spying on me for someone? Did Hoonie send you?” A sudden barrage of thoughts pop into the vlogger’s imaginative mind. “Or are you spying on Hoonie, and you’re trying to get to him through me?” Soonyoung narrows his eyes that they almost disappear, trying to arouse false suspicion.

“Soonyoung. I’m not a spy.”   

“That’s what all the spies say.”

“Eat your food.” Wonwoo tries to distract Soonyoung, pointing to his juicy steak with his knife.

Soonyoung snorts. “If I do, I’ll let my guard down, then there’ll be an explosion somewhere; and then you’ll start shooting.”

The waiter serving the next table looks at Soonyoung in alarm. Wonwoo notices this, and hurriedly grabs Soonyoung’s hand. “I’m really not a spy, but I’ll show you where I work later, okay?”

The vlogger grips Wonwoo’s hand tightly. “Can you give me a hint?”

“It has something to do with movies.” Wonwoo quickly pulls his hand away, leaning back in his seat. He wonders how dense Soonyoung can be – the guy has his business card, after all, that’s how they’d gotten into contact in the first place. And neatly printed on that card is his exact job description: _video editor and cinematographer_. Unless Soonyoung can’t read, surely he has an idea of what Wonwoo’s job is, considering all the video editing he’d done for him for the past few days?

Soonyoung’s jaw drops to the floor in amazement at the revelation. He certainly did not expect that from the bookish man sitting in front of him – he’d fully convinced himself that Wonwoo’s working for a secret government agency, thinking that the job description on Wonwoo’s business card is just a front. A million thoughts run through his head; he has even more questions for Wonwoo, but for once, his mouth can’t keep up with his brain.

“Now can I eat my steak in peace?” A smirk creeps onto Wonwoo’s face – if this was what it takes to shut the vlogger up, he should’ve done it earlier.

Soonyoung doesn’t say anything anymore throughout lunch, and Wonwoo enjoys the comfortable silence.

* * *

Wonwoo adjusts his sweater as he exits Soonyoung’s car. It had been a nice lunch, he had to admit – the food was brilliant, and Soonyoung became really quiet towards the end. Wonwoo appreciates quietness – it gives him space to think; but now, after that silent bout, Wonwoo knows that Soonyoung is going to be really loud for the next few hours, judging from the exclamations that escaped the vlogger’s lips once they reached grand gates of the movie studio that Wonwoo directed him to.

Soonyoung is bug-eyed, taking in the atmosphere of his surroundings. There are a lot of low buildings – filming studios – yet there’s barely anyone around, only the occasional golf cart carrying tourists around for a studio tour. The two of them are in a restricted area where only staff is allowed, and Wonwoo had to make a visitor pass for Soonyoung at the main gate. Of course, there are miniature palm trees everywhere, and Soonyoung sniffs the air. It smells like stale doughnuts and spray paint.

“Will I see a movie star?” Soonyoung’s eyes are sparkling as he glances over to Wonwoo.

“Nah, probably not. C’mon, I’m almost late.” Wonwoo says, shouldering his backpack.

Soonyoung hurries to the boot of his car, pulling out his own huge backpack. “Can I film?”

“Good luck with that.” Wonwoo doesn’t stop him. It’s not his responsibility if Soonyoung gets caught, anyway, besides, what is there to film at a movie studio? Wonwoo’s too jaded to see Soonyoung’s excitement, who quickly delves into his backpack for a camcorder and begins filming himself.

“It’s Soonyoung, and I’m filming from a legitimate movie studio! I’m back in LA, in A MOVIE STUDIO.” He pans over, making sure that his bespectacled companion is also onscreen.

“Don’t get me in the frame.” Wonwoo ducks and tries to cover the lens.

“Nah, you can just pixelate yourself later.” Soonyoung says, swatting Wonwoo’s hand away; with the camera still pointed at him.

“I’ll be late, let’s go.” Wonwoo hurries into the nearest building, the tallest among the others. It’s the main office building of the movie studio, where the actual movie magic happens – post-production is the most important stage of making movies where filmed scenes are edited and cut into the final reel that reaches the box office.

Soonyoung tails after Wonwoo, excitedly firing off questions. “Are you a director?”

“No.”

“Makeup artist?”

“Do I look like one?”

“Writer?”

“I wish.”

“Actor?”

“No.”

“Actor who plays a spy?”

Wonwoo whirls around, facing the vlogger. “Listen. Behave, and you’ll see what I do for a living. Otherwise, you know where’s the exit, because I can always cab it back to Malibu. Understand?” He says in a deep baritone that shakes Soonyoung’s very core. His eyes are hooded, and he has the most serious expression on his face that Soonyoung doesn’t dare to question him, so he simply nods. 

The pair finally arrive at a door labelled _Video Editing_ , and Wonwoo pushes it open. There’s already a team of people frantically scuttling around, trying to complete their assigned tasks. Once the lanky guy appears in the doorway (with an awe-struck human hamster in tow), everyone swarms him for advice, but Wonwoo manages to hoard them off as he sets Soonyoung down in a chair in a corner.

“Wait for me here. Don’t film. And don’t move.” Wonwoo says, unknowingly asking Soonyoung to do the three things he can’t do. Soonyoung can be impatient, as he gets distracted easily, and he simply has to film everything that’s possible to conserve the memory. And he can never stay still, always fidgeting or dancing around to whatever song is playing in his head. But Wonwoo doesn’t know any of this, and he’s already under pressure from his team, so he leaves it at that and immediately gets to work.

Soonyoung spins around in the office chair that Wonwoo has sat him in, making funny faces at the camera as he films. An intern sitting at his desk nearby immediately gets distracted by Soonyoung’s antics, who’s already bored to death with nothing better to do, and no one to bother.

“Hi.” Soonyoung pops up right by the young intern, who’s completely shocked by the vlogger’s appearance. Out of the corner of his eye, Wonwoo spies on the vlogger as he does his work quickly, hoping that he can leave soon before Soonyoung wreaks havoc.

“What are you doing, buddy?”

The intern’s unsure of answering, scared that he might say the wrong thing. Besides, for a person who works in the movie industry, he’s visibly shocked by the camera that Soonyoung’s holding, which the vlogger finds odd – mainly because he knows that filming isn’t allowed in the area, especially that they’re working on a project that’s already in post-production, almost ready to be released to the box office. 

“Chan! Back to work!” Wonwoo hisses from his own desk at the other end of the room, and throws a dirty look at Soonyoung.

Poor Chan the intern hunches over his desk, trying to focus on his work. Soonyoung starts playing with the dinosaur figurines neatly arranged on the intern’s table, making little roaring noises.

“Uh, can I help you, sir?” Chan tries not to make eye contact with Soonyoung.

“I have a question. What’s a cinematographer?” Soonyoung asks, unnecessarily waving one dinosaur in the air.

Chan gulps, his eyes trailing his prized possession. Maybe if he answers the vlogger quickly, he’d leave quicker and leave his dinosaurs alone (it definitely was a bad idea to have them at the office, since everyone makes fun of them). “It’s someone who manages camera work during filming. We also call them Director of Photography.”

“OH.” Soonyoung gasps loudly, finally understanding, and Wonwoo, who’s at the other end of the room, tries his best to ignore him instead of smacking some sense into the vlogger with his shoe. He sets Chan’s dinosaur aside, and whips out Wonwoo’s crumpled card out of his wallet. “See? It says so here on Wonwoo’s card.”

“Y-yeah, I heard he’s trying to expand his horizons or something like that…”

“Ooh, tell me more.” Soonyoung drags his chair over, and sets his camera down, already all ears to hear Chan the intern’s story about Wonwoo.

“It’s what I heard from the others, really.” Chan whispers, ducking his head, and Soonyoung follows suit. “Apparently Wonwoo majored in camera work during film school, but somehow he ended up in post-production video editing instead. You know that Korean movie _When the Wind Blows_?”

“Starring Korean heartthrob actor Yoon Jeonghan?” Soonyoung interrupts. He’d watched the movie online when he was in Australia last year, and wept throughout, finishing up a box of tissues on his own.

Chan looks slightly lost, but nods, anyway. “Wonwoo worked on the editing on that film, and apparently he did a brilliant job which got him a job here. But everyone always says that he wants to be a cinematographer.”

“Did he ever like, say that he wants to do camera work?” Soonyoung makes a mental note to let Wonwoo film more for his vlog, giving him free reign over all the camera work.

“Not that I know of.” Chan says. “It’s all rumours. We’re not really close to him, like friends, but more on a professional level. His editing skills are killer. I learn a lot from him.”

Soonyoung zones in on one fact. “He doesn’t have any friends here?”

Chan notices that Wonwoo’s looking their way, and leans away from Soonyoung. “Not really. I’d better get back to work… I need coffee!” The young intern rushes off to the water cooler with his dinosaur figurines to avoid further interrogation from Soonyoung, but the vlogger’s already deep in thought, watching the hardworking Wonwoo from a distance.

He’s got to ask Wonwoo himself one day and verify what Chan had told him – about his social circle, his dreams and aspirations. Behind those glasses and that cold exterior, there’s a person underneath, more than just a stranger, a human with feelings and hopes and dreams.

Surely, he can help Wonwoo, too, the same way that he’d helped Jihoon.

And this time, he won’t mess up.

* * *

Jihoon’s lying on one of the sun loungers, tired after a whole morning of swimming. He’s discarded the ridiculous marshmallow armbands aside, as Seungcheol wrestles with the other floaties, trying to deflate them all. Teddy the butler’s nowhere to be seen, probably off preparing lunch.

Jihoon lazily watches Seungcheol, amused by the way he’s trying to release the air from the floaties. He makes no move to help, simply observing, letting every contour of Seungcheol’s well-defined muscles sear into his mind. It’s a sight, really. An amazing sight; close to art. He can feel the tips of his ears heat up, but it’s most probably due to the hot weather. Not because of his hot instructor. Nope. 

“You shouldn’t have inflated them all.” The blond comments, clutching the towel that Teddy had laid out for him to dry off.

“I know.” Seungcheol grunts, sitting on a green floatie, as the air leaks out of the vinyl with a soft hiss. “You’re not going to help me, are you?”

Jihoon leans over and grabs one of the white arm floaties he’d been using earlier, flops back and starts deflating it.

Seungcheol starts bouncing on the floatie that he’s sitting on, letting the air escape in annoying, high-pitched staccatos; and Jihoon laughs. The surfer is unreal – he’s practically a kid trapped in a hot male surfer’s body who also has a really nice smile.

Life is unfair, but still fair enough to let Jihoon meet this stupidly handsome surf god-man-child.

“Stop that.” Jihoon says, with a double meaning: _stop the annoying noises, and stop being so hot._

The surfer keeps at it with an orange floatie next; a cheeky grin on his face.

“Seungcheol.” Jihoon says sharply in warning, throwing the deflated arm floatie in Seungcheol’s direction, and the surfer catches it neatly.

“Nice throw.”

“I played baseball in middle school.” Jihoon interjects smugly, deflating the other arm floatie.

Teddy appears by Jihoon’s lounge chair, clearing his throat discreetly. “Lunch is ready on the deck.”

“Cool. Thanks, Teds. Wait until I’m done with this, then we can eat.” Seungcheol tries to multi-task, grabbing a few more floaties, but Teddy quickly strides over and stops him.

“That’s alright, Mr Choi, I can handle that. This way to the deck, gentlemen.” The butler lends a hand to help Seungcheol up to his feet, then ushers Jihoon and Seungcheol back into the house through the sitting room.

Teddy leads the pair through a grand dining room that housed an elegantly carved mahogany dining table, towards the adjacent deck, where a smaller table has been set for two, food already served on the table. Jihoon feels ridiculous having lunch in his wetsuit, but he’s starving, and the aromatic smells of the meal lures him into a seat. Seungcheol sits across from him, nodding at Jihoon, who’s still slightly struck by the luxury of the house, and the butler’s efficient service.

“Enjoy your lunch – and I’d suggest a quick shower after, to clean up after your swim. Do call if you need anything.” The butler swiftly disappears, leaving the pair to enjoy their meal – a little thought in Jihoon’s head says that he’s going to deflate all of Seungcheol’s (mostly unused) floaties, in his suit, in the sweltering heat. But he’s immediately distracted by the meal spread out in front of him; and all his other thoughts dissolve away.  

Lunch is amazing – Teddy serves them fresh seafood, as promised; on the deck that offers an incredible view of the azure waters of the Pacific. Jihoon knows and loves good food, and he makes making appreciative noises throughout lunch as Seungcheol watches him enjoy his meal.

Thinking back, he may have sounded inappropriate, considering that Seungcheol was only wearing board shorts during lunch. Who knows what happened to his shirt.

They simply enjoy their meal without much conversation, comfortable in each other’s quiet company. Once they’re done, Teddy’s already by Jihoon’s side, and escorts him to the guest bathroom this time. Jihoon’s never seen so much marble in one room – the marble bathtub and marble sink may have been a bit excessive with their gold-plated faucets, but it still appears elegant. Teddy leaves Jihoon’s clothes by the counter, and gives him privacy, letting him enjoy a luxurious shower with expensive bath gels.

Teddy had advised the pair to stay indoors to avoid the blistering afternoon heat, and soon enough, Jihoon finds himself sitting at the piano in the sitting room. Seungcheol enters the room, fresh from his post-swim and post-lunch shower, hair still damp and clinging to his forehead. The surfer leans against the piano, cupping his face in his chin as he looks at Jihoon with a little smile.

“So. Was I a good teacher?”

“Eh, it was fine.”

“We’ll get there, eventually.” Seungcheol opens the piano lid, revealing the gleaming black and white keys underneath. “Do you play?”

Jihoon can only smile bitterly. “Not anymore.”

“Now’s a good time to start again. Will you play me something?”

 _No,_ Jihoon wants to answer, but he can’t refuse Seungcheol, not with those pleading puppy-dog eyes.

“I don’t know what to play.” Jihoon mumbles, heat creeping up his neck.

“Just play something simple.”

_I just want it simple._

The chords to his self-written song, innate on his fingers, are ready to be played; he just needed to place his fingers onto the keys, and music – his own music – would fill the room.

But he’s not ready for the world to hear his songs, and he knows that he’ll never be. Only Soonyoung had heard the rough versions. Jihoon can either pluck up the courage to add a new audience to his music, or he can just let it die in the past.

His fingers hover over the keyboard, and music flows from the piano.

Beethoven’s _Ode To Joy._

A simple composition, one of the first songs that Jihoon had learnt on the piano – and he’s surprised that he can remember it correctly.

Seungcheol applauds after the short piece. “I’ve always admired people who can play the piano.”

Jihoon’s heart skips a beat, but hey, lots of people on earth can play the instrument. Even cats do, too! His heart’s being irrational again, so he simply looks down at his hands.

“Grandma always said, people who play piano have pretty hands.” The surfer reaches out and nimbly holds Jihoon’s left hand up, scrutinizing his long, slender fingers. Gentle as always, Seungcheol turns it over, caressing Jihoon’s calloused fingertips.

“Play me another song.” Seungcheol replaces Jihoon’s hands back on the keys.

Jihoon smiles, and plays another masterpiece – quick staccatos that make up a short, quirky tune; another beginner composition.

_Chopsticks._

The old Jihoon can’t come to the phone right now, ‘cause he’s dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- did i just end this chapter with a t swift lyric... >,<  
> \- ksy is my favourite person to write, ever.  
> \- csc is ridiculously hot. why.  
> \- congrats svt for all the wins on carat day! (did we really get our first daesang?)  
> \- and happy carat day, loves. keep on shining. *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧


	22. hi hello

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> back at it with the 'character development'...

For the next few days, Jihoon learns the basics of swimming from Seungcheol. The surfer even gets him a kickboard the day after that initial lesson, after Jihoon had told him about the little blue kickboard he’d used when he was ten on the way back home. This new kickboard is black and sleek and suits Jihoon’s size – but Jihoon can’t help but feel nostalgia for his blue one that can only fit a child.

Jihoon doesn’t see Soonyoung at all those days, even though they’re staying in the same house. The blond can only assume that his best friend is working on his vlog, but apart from that, he doesn’t know much, because he’s focusing on his swimming lessons with Seungcheol.

Jihoon barely gets used to seeing a shirtless Seungcheol every day - not that it plagues his mind every night when he’s about to go to sleep - but he trains his mind to concentrate on the lesson instead of his instructor. Eventually he gets comfortable with taking his own shirt off during swimming lessons, partly because he finds it troublesome to hang up his damp wetsuit to dry every night. The first time he did that, Seungcheol choked on some orange juice that Teddy had prepared; probably because he’d thought that he’d seen a ghost out in broad daylight.

Yes, Jihoon is pale, thanks to his day job of sitting at a desk all day (though his milky white skin is the envy of the ladies at work – and he doesn’t use makeup!). He’s not as toned as Seungcheol is, so he’s glad for the refraction of the water to somewhat hide his little tummy that juts a teeny bit out of the waistline of his swimming trunks.

Jihoon’s learnt more in three days of lessons with Seungcheol compared to that summer of swimming when he was younger. At least Seungcheol has given up on stuffing him into those colourful floaties of his – it’s even more work trying to inflate and deflate them, even with Teddy’s help – and Jihoon is now transitioning to swimming freely without his kickboard. He learns to trust himself more, knowing that he’d float in water if he doesn’t focus on drowning. Seungcheol had drilled it into him numerous times that humans have natural buoyancy in water, and by the end of the third day, Jihoon can freely tread water in the shallow end of the pool without his toes touching the swimming pool floor. Seungcheol also shows him the basic swimming strokes, which he practices at the shallow end, tiptoeing on the swimming pool floor for security.

Seungcheol’s turning out to be a really patient teacher, as he did when he taught Jihoon surfing. He’d gotten Jihoon to be comfortable in the water, making the blond practice holding his breath, while he makes funny faces at him underwater. Jihoon shows steady progress each day, and Seungcheol’s quite proud of that – the blond can now swim around the deeper end (on his kickboard) without much hesitation, given that he’s around to supervise. He’d never let Jihoon out of his sight, not after the whole drowning debacle out on the ocean a few days ago.

Seungcheol thinks that Jihoon looks really cute splashing around in the water with his kickboard, and tries to imagine a baby Jihoon doing the same. He’s been having tons of fun these few days, and he hopes Jihoon feels the same too. It’s becoming a routine – they’d swim in the mornings, followed by lunch served by Teddy the butler, followed by some downtime in the airy sitting room, listening to music or playing video games on the game console (they’re both incredibly competitive, and sometimes invite Teddy to play along). Finally, Seungcheol sends Jihoon home after an early dinner in town.

Routine is good, and routine is safe. Routine is comfortable, and it becomes predictable; though Seungcheol learns little bits of new things about Jihoon that surprise him every day.

“You’re a really fast learner, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol says one evening as he sends Jihoon back after having Chinese food for dinner.

Jihoon shrugs, smirking proudly. “Nah, my instructor’s really good.”

“Do you want to get back to surfing after you’re done with Swimming 101?”

Jihoon thinks for a while. He remembers the determined look on Seungcheol’s face when he’d been out there in the ocean, waiting to catch a wave. Seungcheol’s still a surfer at heart, and he misses the rolling blue Pacific waves; and Jihoon was here to surf in the first place (despite lack of experience in the swimming department, not to mention, it was a sudden suggestion brought upon him by Soonyoung). 

“Maybe a little more time.” Jihoon says with a low voice, casting his glance outside. The streetlights are already blinking on, as the sky gradually turns into a royal blue, a silhouette of the moon appearing. Through the stereo, British singer Adele hits a powerful high note.

“No worries, I guess.” Seungcheol turns his attention to the road.

“I’ve really got to thank Joshua for letting us use his pool.” Jihoon says after an empty beat. He’s curious to know more about Joshua – Seungcheol’s described him a couple of times, with polite interjections from Teddy – and he seems like a genuinely nice person.

“He doesn’t mind, really, ‘cause he’s too busy playing doctor. And Teddy, he’s just doing his job.” The surfer says. “Oh, we won’t be having lessons tomorrow. Teddy says that the pool needs to be cleaned.”

“You must’ve peed in it.” Jihoon laughs.

“Wasn’t it you?” Seungcheol teases back, as he pulls up right by Jihoon and Soonyoung’s beach house. Jihoon rolls his eyes and shakes his head, though the smile on his face doesn’t fade.

Seungcheol parks the car and kills the engine, before turning to Jihoon, meeting his dark brown eyes. “Hey, do you have any plans tomorrow evening?”

“Not too sure. I haven’t seen Soonie in days.”

“Oh.” Seungcheol taps on the steering wheel. “Well, if you’re free, wanna head back into LA and see Joshua? He’s performing at an open mic tomorrow, and I always go and watch him.”

Jihoon wouldn’t pass up a chance to hang out with Seungcheol more, considering that he won’t see him shirtless by the pool tomorrow morning. Meeting the mysterious Young Master Joshua Hong would be a bonus, too. Still, he needs to make sure that his best friend is still alive – three days without any update from Soonyoung is alarming.

“I’ll check back with you?”  

“Cool beans.” The surfer nods.

“Y-yeah.”

An empty moment, thick with tension. No one moves, but Jihoon can feel the intensity of Seungcheol’s gaze. In those Romantic Comedies, this would definitely be the moment where the two of them would kiss, and fireworks would go off in the background.

But Jihoon’s life is just a comedy with no ounce of romance, and he silently curses the atrocious number of romantic tropes that’s suddenly invading his mind. Thanks, Mingyu from Human Resources, who always plays _Love, Rosie_ whenever possible at company movie nights (apart that one-off when he played _Captain America_ instead) for painting a montage of romantic clichés into his head through movies.

Jihoon leans back, and opens the car door, preparing to leave. “Thanks for today.”

“No problem. Hopefully I can see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” Jihoon nods.

“Cool. I’ll text you later.” Seungcheol’s parting words are always the same, and Jihoon always gets a text message from him saying that he’s safely home with a cute emoji every day. Jihoon watches Seungcheol’s jeep disappear down the street before he enters the house.

The blond falls asleep on the couch in the living room, lulled into dreamland from that day’s fatigue, clouded by dreams of doughnuts and palm trees.

Jihoon doesn’t know what time it is when he suddenly jerks awake from his nap. It’s definitely late – apart from one lamp that illuminated the room, the rest of the house is dark. There’s a creak of the wooden floors; little patters on the floor that woke Jihoon up, and assuming that it’s Soonyoung and hopefully not a robber, Jihoon calls out, barely making out a dark shadow of a person in the hallway.

“Soonie?”

“Nobody’s here!” The response is immediate.

Jihoon recognizes the voice, after hearing it his whole life – it’s definitely his best friend. He quickly gets to his feet, flicking the hallway lights on. Soonyoung hisses at the brightness, covering his face with his hands, already halfway up the stairs.

Jihoon scrutinizes his best friend.  “You look like death.”

Soonyoung sighs, throwing his hands to his sides. “Fine. You caught me.”

The vlogger looks haggard, like he’s been losing sleep. Apart from that, he seems well-fed, Jihoon observes. The only difference is that there are dark circles under his small eyes, and it looks like he hasn’t seen the sun, which is virtually impossible in South California.

“Where have you been for the past few days?” Jihoon questions, keeping his voice level. He’s never seen Soonyoung like this – in fact, he’s amused.

“Oh, thanks for finally asking! I’ve been editing my vlog for the past few days, and it’s going along fine!” Soonyoung’s voice rises an octave higher.

“Good for you. I’m gonna look for something to eat.” Jihoon nods, then starts off for the kitchen. He knows that something else is bothering Soonyoung, and this is the perfect tactic to make him talk – divert your attention from him; and he’ll desperately try to pull you back in.  That’s Soonyoung for you, he loves the attention – precisely why he’s a really successful blogger, sharing his colourful thoughts and adventures with the world. As a vlogger? Stay tuned to find out, if his ambitious project - ‘Soonie and Hoonie’s LA Adventure’ – actually works.

“Wait!” The budding vlogger exclaims dramatically, reaching out for his best friend. Jihoon stops in his tracks, not really leaving in the first place, fully expecting Soonyoung to make him stay. “I’ve been lonely, Hoonie.” Soonyoung slumps down onto the steps, cradling his mochi face as he sulks.

Jihoon rolls his eyes. “Well, sorry I can’t hang out with you more. You were the one who encouraged me to ‘socialise’.” He counters, inserting air quotes to emphasise that last word.

“No. I’m glad that you’re out there, Cheol-hyung’s a really nice guy.” Soonyoung grins. “B-but I haven’t seen Wonwoo in two days.” He adds in a small voice, looking at his toes instead.

“And?”

Silence. 

Soonyoung slowly meets Jihoon’s inquisitive eyes. “I, uh, kinda need his help on the vlog?” It comes out more like a question than a statement. “But he’s been reaaaaaaaaaaaally busy with work so I couldn’t contact him.” He adds with a rush.

“Go get some sleep. Tomorrow you’re coming with me and Seungcheol.” Jihoon decides in a split second, remembering Seungcheol’s invitation. He just hopes that the surfer wouldn’t mind him dragging along his noisy best friend to what may constitute as a date. Not that he counts it as one, but it seems like it.  

The vlogger looks reenergized at the invitation. “Are we going swimming?” He’d really like a recording of Jihoon trying to swim with cute floaties, and the idea perks him up.

“No, we’re going to an open mic night at a café. And no, it’s not a date.” Jihoon says. Denial pushes illicit thoughts to the back of his brain – it’s _not_ a date, though a little part of him wants it to be.

“Oh. I could’ve invited Wonwoo along.” Soonyoung looks slightly disappointed.

Jihoon keeps a neutral expression on his face – though he’s wondering if his best friend actually wants a double date; what has he been eating lately that’s making him slightly obsessed with the quiet Wonwoo? Jihoon doesn’t really know the videographer that well; but it’s typical for Soonyoung to warm up to people immediately, but not up until he misses them a whole lot...

Soonyoung quickly finds his tongue. “Uh, because he likes good music! Did you know that he can sing?”

Jihoon mulls over the idea for a while. “He can come along, too, I guess.”

Soonyoung actually squees out loud like an excited teenage girl. “I hope he can make it! You’ll like him, Hoonie. He’s really funny.”

Jihoon hasn’t spent much time around Wonwoo to attest to this, but he nods, anyway. He takes his phone out of his pocket, realising that there’s a new text from Seungcheol, sent about a couple of hours ago.

_Already home sweet home. Sweet dreams Jihoonie! x_

There’s a random emoji of a peach at the end. Jihoon can’t begin to interpret it, as a tiny smile creeps upon his face.

“Oooooh.” Soonyoung’s dark head hovers over Jihoon’s phone screen, trying to glimpse whatever Jihoon’s smiling at.

“Go to bed, Soonie!” Jihoon swats his best friend away, quickly shoving his phone into his pocket. His ears turn red at the thought that Soonyoung might have seen his private conversation with Seungcheol - not that there’s anything to hide.  

Soonyoung wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, skipping up the stairs giggling, rushing to his room before Jihoon can murder him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy birthday to rap god lee seokmin and the vocalist of our generation chwe hansol!  
> happy 1000 days with seventeen, let's go on for another 1000 years!
> 
> and thank you for 200+ kudos T_T  
> it warms my heart to see so many people enjoy this story that i've practically sacrificed my life for <3  
> thank you for sticking with me this far; and the story still has a looooooooooong way to go. hehe.  
> any form of feedback is always welcome ^^


	23. open mic night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon, Soonyoung and Seungcheol go to LA for an open mic night.   
> Meet Joshua Hong, humanitarian, guitarist and medical student extraordinare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> extra long chapter ahead!

Seungcheol offers to pick Jihoon and Soonyoung up the next evening, for an early dinner before they head to the café for the open mic night. With nothing better to do during the day, Jihoon finds himself in Soonyoung’s company; something that he hasn’t done in a while.

Soonyoung’s making some ramen for breakfast for the two of them when Jihoon finally emerges into the kitchen after spending two hours in bed re-reading his old text conversations with Seungcheol after the surfer had laid out plans for that evening. Apparently, Seungcheol’s having his weekly swimming/surfing class for children that day, and he did ask Jihoon to tag along, but the blond had declined. (Seungcheol might try to stick him into a white unicorn floatie, aided by the kids. Besides, he can’t stand children - those hyperactive little monsters terrorize him.)

“Morning, Hoonie! Just in time for breakfast!” Soonyoung sing-songs, ladling some ramen into a patterned bowl. Jihoon nods back, taking a seat at the sleek kitchen island, where Soonyoung has set the table.

Jihoon wants some coffee, but he reaches for some orange juice instead, his fingers twitching slightly. There are little things resembling frog eggs floating around in the juice, and Jihoon warily inspects them.

“What are these?”

“Basil seeds! Healthy stuff. Don’t worry, frogs won’t grow inside your tummy.” Soonyoung serves a steaming bowl of ramen for Jihoon. “I learned this noodle recipe from a chef in Akita. The broth is supposed to be really rich, with the tender meat and all the herbs.”

“It’s packet ramen, Soonie.” Jihoon spies the bright ramen packaging on the kitchen counter.

Soonyoung takes a seat next to his best friend with his own bowl of ramen. “Say what you want, but I’ll let the noodles do the talking.” He practically inhales a steaming mouthful.

“Thank you for the meal.” Jihoon mutters out of habit, picking up his chopsticks.

Of course, Soonyoung had to exaggerate about the food – though Jihoon did find a few chunky pieces of deliciously delectable meat in his noodles – but it’s still normal packet ramen like he’d suspected earlier. But food is food, and Jihoon never says no to it, and he enjoys his breakfast anyway.

Jihoon tells Soonyoung about Seungcheol’s plans, and the vlogger nods, noting that they have the rest of the day free to do whatever they want.

“Should we go to Disneyland?” Soonyoung grins.

“No.”

“I’ll ask Cheol-hyung about it.” Soonyoung’s already picturing Jihoon wearing Mickey Mouse ears, and he knows that Seungcheol would like that too.  

“Why do you need to ask him?”

“Why not?”

Jihoon huffs, shaking his head.

“He seems like he’d like Disneyland.” Soonyoung adds, placing his empty bowl into the sink.

They end up having a Disney movie marathon in the living room, since Soonyoung can never be bothered to complete his vlog (according to him, he can’t do it with without Wonwoo). Soonyoung sings along to all the songs, not forgetting his theatrics – he belted out the high note in _Let It Go_ , with a grand gesture, rivalling Elsa on the screen – and Jihoon simply rolls his eyes at his best friend as he stuffs himself with snacks, focusing on the movies.

Jihoon keeps track of time, as Soonyoung plays movie after movie after movie – and talks him out of watching _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_ when he realises that it’s getting late. Seungcheol would be there any minute to pick them up, and the living room is a mess of candy wrappers, empty soda bottles and takeout boxes from their lunch. He makes Soonyoung help him clean everything, humming the melody to the _Circle of Life_ , then quickly runs upstairs to change into a better outfit, because it’s a night out in Los Angeles – he can’t be seen around in shorts and slippers like he’s going to the beach!

As he pulls on a comfortable sweater paired with black jeans, he hopes that the medley of Disney songs playing on loop in his head would just go away by the time Seungcheol comes around.

Seungcheol’s early, as usual; and Jihoon’s relieved by the time he arrives because Soonyoung is turning him into a nervous mess. Soonyoung bounces into the passenger seat next to Seungcheol with his huge backpack, calling shotgun. Jihoon locks up the house, making sure that the light on the porch is switched on – he doesn’t know what time they’ll be back from LA even though it’s still bright outside.

“Hello, Jihoonie!” Seungcheol greets him cheerfully when he enters the car. The blond slides into the backseat with a tiny pout, flicking the back of Soonyoung’s head.  

“I called shotgun, Hoonie. Too slow.” Soonyoung is smug as he tugs his seatbelt on.

“Shotgun gets to pick the songs. It’s an hour drive.” Seungcheol smiles apologetically to Jihoon, quickly peeking at the blond’s reflection in his rearview mirror, but he doesn’t notice Jihoon’s frantic gestures trying to tell him to stop Soonyoung from picking out a playlist. Who knows what he’s going to play?

For the rest of the journey, Soonyoung and Seungcheol sing along to Disney soundtracks, and Jihoon wants to throw himself out of the car, but stops himself when he properly hears Seungcheol’s deep tone harmonizing along to Phil Collins’ _You’ll Be in My Heart_. Soonyoung’s hyping him up, fanboying as hard as he can, giving the elder the spotlight.

Seungcheol’s voice is level as he hits the modulation and goes a key higher with the song, seeping into Jihoon’s soul. He doesn’t have to go overboard with his vocalisation the way Soonyoung does sometimes (always being extra), simply singing along to the words like it’s no big deal.

He’s a surfer, and incredibly good looking with a decent voice – Seungcheol is too perfect to be real. Jihoon listens to him intently, appreciating his melodious tenor, the way it tastefully sends shivers down his spine.   

When the song ends, Soonyoung claps like a seal, grinning widely. “Hyung! That was amazing!”

“Thank you, Soonyoung.” Seungcheol grins, eyeballing the road signs.

“Hoonie gets the next song! Hyung, did you know that he can sing?” The vlogger swivels around to look at Jihoon in the back seat, grabbing Seungcheol’s arm. Seungcheol simply smiles, keeping his attention on the road as a flashy sports car zooms past them in the right lane.

“Soonie, let him drive in peace.”

“Sing. Sing. Sing. Sing.” Soonyoung starts to chant, dropping his grasp from Seungcheol’s arm.

Jihoon clears his throat, pretending to cough a little. “Not today. My throat doesn’t feel so good.”

Soonyoung instantly digs into his backpack and produces a water bottle out of nowhere, handing it to Jihoon. The blond takes a painfully slow swig of the water as the soundtrack from _Hercules_ starts blaring from the speakers, then gives the bottle back to Soonyoung, who’s humming along to the song.

“Did you invite Wonwoo along?” Jihoon asks, glancing at Soonyoung.

The vlogger looks uncomfortable, and starts squirming in his seat. Jihoon reaches over to the stereo and lowers down the volume.

“Soonie?”

Soonyoung fiddles with his thumbs, looking straight to the road ahead. Even Seungcheol notices the change in Soonyoung’s expression, and looks briefly at him to assess the situation.

Jihoon softens his tone. “He’s not coming, is he?”

Soonyoung closes his eyes tightly and shakes his head.

“It’s okay, Soonyoung.” Seungcheol reaches over and pats his arm, keeping one hand on the steering wheel.

Jihoon’s slightly taken aback at Soonyoung’s sadness. He rarely sees his best friend like this – Soonyoung’s practically a walking ball of positive energy – so when he feels down, Jihoon never knows what to do.

“He didn’t text back. I guess he’s busy.” Soonyoung mutters.

Right then, the vibrant xylophone riff of _Under the Sea_ bursts throughout the car, and as if on cue, Soonyoung channels the quirky persona of Sebastian the crab with his funny voice impersonation; like nothing had happened.

“Welcome back to Los Angeles, everyone.” Seungcheol announces as they drive past the city boundaries. The twinkling lights of Tinseltown are just up ahead, greeting newcomers like a beacon with its illuminated skyline reflecting off the setting sun. Jihoon flutters when he sees them, giving him a sense of adventure – it’s been a while since he tasted LA nightlife.

They head for dinner first, with Soonyoung insisting that they have Japanese food. Dinner’s a quick affair, yet Soonyoung still finds time to introduce each dish to the camera. Seungcheol plays along, while Jihoon watches them in amusement. It’s odd to see the uncanny resemblance between them – they’re quite different on the surface, but past that, Soonyoung and Seungcheol are almost similar especially in their shamelessly lame brand of humour.

It’s dark when they finish dinner – Jihoon had the most servings – and the open mic night will start soon, so they quickly bundle into Seungcheol’s jeep and head over to the café. Soonyoung films a quick review of their meal earlier in the car despite the low lighting, singing praises of their fresh sushi, but complaining about their wasabi being too hot.

“You’d think that the wasabi would’ve burned his tongue off, but no.” Jihoon adds in his own sarcastic bite, and Seungcheol laughs heartily.

“You know that I can’t stand spicy food.” Soonyoung says. “I sweat a lot when I eat them.”

“Mhm. Yeah. Sure.” Jihoon crosses his arms and leans back into the seat, not wanting to partake in Soonyoung’s monolgue anymore. The vlogger goes off onto a tangent about how real Japanese wasabi is milder, having tasted the real thing. Jihoon can’t attest to that fact, so he looks outside and counts the number of palm trees that they drive by.

They arrive at the café soon enough, but Seungcheol has to circle around the block a couple of times to find a parking spot. Bright lights are everywhere, and a hint of a thumping bass from the club at the end of the road floats throughout the neighbourhood. People are dressed up in heels and ripped jeans and leather jackets - this is LA nightlife; the glitz and the glam of the Angelinos, even in an ordinary part of town. Jihoon feels underdressed in his sweater, and tugs on his sleeves to hide his hands.

Seungcheol finally finds a parking space, then the three of them walk toward the café holding the open mic night at the quieter end of the road. Soonyoung comfortably wedges himself in between Seungcheol and Jihoon, chattering away about LA nightlife, his ubiquitous camera already in his hand – of course, he’s going to catch every moment on film.

Café Arredondo holds a weekly open mic night, and the turnout is acceptable, with patrons who want an evening of good coffee and good music. It’s a cozy little space that Jihoon barely remembers, on that night in Los Angeles about more than a week ago when he’d picked a fight with Soonyoung about music. The rich smell of brewed coffee envelope him, and Seungcheol comfortably places his hand on the small of Jihoon’s back, leading him to a table in a corner, not far away from the little stage at the back of the room. Right behind them, Soonyoung follows, and takes a seat across from Jihoon, who’s sitting right by Seungcheol.

“Nice place.” Soonyoung grins, placing his camera carefully on the table so that it captures the three of them in the frame. He glances around the café in appreciation, taking in its ambience.

“Hello, Seungcheol.” A teenager slinks up to their table. His prominent nose and bright eyes accentuate his youth, and an easy smile lights up his face as he greets the surfer.

“Samuel!” Seungcheol high-fives the teen. “Working this evening?”

“Grandma promised me the cool sneakers I’ve always wanted, so I’m here.” Samuel shrugs, pulling a notepad out of the pocket of his dark apron, handing the trio some menus. Soonyoung immediately flicks through them, salivating at the pastries that the café has to offer.

“This is Samuel. His grandmother owns the place. Sammy, meet Soonyoung and Jihoon.” Seungcheol introduces everyone. Jihoon nods at the skinny teen, as Soonyoung chirps a bubbly hello, complimenting the earring Samuel has on.

“The usual, Seungcheol?” Samuel asks the surfer for confirmation, and Seungcheol nods. He’d been frequenting this café since his college days, and back then, little Samuel was only in junior high, dancing around the tables and stealing pastries from the pastry case near the counter. Most of the time, little Samuel would watch Seungcheol practice his lines or study for classes; and Grandma Arredondo was grateful for his companionship for her little grandson that she’d always give him free Americanos, which has always been Seungcheol’s favourite beverage.

Jihoon simply orders water, while Soonyoung takes a moment to create the sweetest concoction possible off the top of his head: hot chocolate with cream and caramel and rainbow sprinkles, added with a chocolate wafer and a cherry on top. Samuel manages to jot it all down, as Soonyoung immediately launches into ordering an assortment of pastries and cakes for dessert – Jihoon has to snatch the menu away from his best friend and hand it back to Samuel before he orders the whole menu.

“Good choice, Soonyoung. Be right back with your order.” Samuel grins at the vlogger, collecting the other menus.

“Join us later?” Seungcheol offers, patting an empty chair next to him.

Samuel shrugs. “Performance starts in five minutes. I’ll be back by then.”

“I practically watched the kid grow up.” Seungcheol remarks, as the teenager lopes off.

Soonyoung waves at the departing teen, grinning widely, with hearts in his eyes. “I love him already.”

“Nice kid.” Jihoon mutters, playing with the tablecloth. He’s slightly on edge to be here tonight – who knew that Seungcheol’s favourite café was the one that he stumbled upon; those feelings of anxiety emerging upon him, how he’d felt incredibly confused – meeting music like an old friend, complete with awkward greetings, unsure of the next step.

Call it serendipity if you may. Maybe it’s a sign – maybe he should return to do what he loves the most, and not that crappy accounting job that he loathes so much.

Life’s too short to be miserable.

But he’s scared – what if he’s not good enough anymore? What if the music; the creativity that once inhabited him had left: not a single creativity burst in the past few years – no lyrics, no melodies building up in his tired little mind. He’d never felt compelled to play anymore when work consumed his life.

Jihoon remembers that moment when Seungcheol had asked him to play the piano. _Chopsticks._ A jaunty, beginner tune already innate in his fingers – a melody that he can play without thinking. The way the song floated out of the piano as his fingers skip over the ivory keys – pressing the right chords to form a quirky little song. He’d felt warm; happy, and it felt like home. The excitement, the joy of conjuring a song hidden in an instrument just by striking the correct notes – for Jihoon, that’s own little world that he knows best, his home.

A strum of a guitar chord reverberates throughout the café, knocking Jihoon back to the present. He looks down in embarrassment when he notices that Seungcheol is staring at him with slight concern.

A slim young man with floppy copper-brown hair smiles at the crowd, who clap politely for him. He sits on a stool on the stage, his guitar tucked under his arm. Soonyoung focuses his camera onto the stage as the lights in the room start to dim, a single spotlight illuminating the person onstage.

“Good evening, everyone. Café Arredondo’s open mic night will start now – I’m Joshua, and I’ll be entertaining you tonight.”

A smatter of applause comes from the audience; then the café lights dim.

Joshua starts his set off with _Sunday Morning_. Jihoon remembers him from the other night – the man had been singing the same song, his gentle vocals suiting the mellow melody that fills in the café. Everyone seems to love it – the ladies swooning, clasping their hands tightly in heated anticipation, while the men nod their head along to the slow beat of the calming song.

Samuel, who’d brought over their orders and joined them promptly to enjoy the show, leans back in his seat. “That song’s getting a bit old, really.”

“I like it.” Seungcheol comments. “It’s his thing. He’s like, the _Sunday Morning_ guy around this neighbourhood, because he sings it all the time.” The surfer adds, for Jihoon and Soonyoung’s benefit.

Soonyoung hisses for them to be quiet, as he tries to focus his camera onto Joshua on the stage. Jihoon fully apprcieates Joshua’s performance, listening to every note; while Seungcheol and Samuel whisper in low tones, catching up with each other. They’ve seen enough of Joshua’s performance to be familiar with it - so they’re not surprised with his setlist, simply enjoying the good music.

Joshua’s set lasts for about twenty minutes – it’s just him and his acoustic guitar. He sings a few English songs, and a Korean song too. Everyone bobs along to the music, despite not understanding the lyrics – Joshua’s voice is simply captivating, and he sets a mellow mood for the evening.

Seungcheol leans over and tells Jihoon about Joshua’s heritage – his parents are both Korean, so he always inserts at least one Korean song into his set. The blond’s amazed at Joshua’s clear pronunciation; his tone and delivery makes him a good singer.

Joshua ends his set to a smattering of applause from the audience, and someone even whistles. He packs his guitar into its case quickly, vacating the stage for the next performer, then joins the quartet at the table by the corner, casually greeting Seungcheol and Samuel.

“I see you’ve brought your friends, Cheol.” Joshua puts his guitar case aside, leaning it by the wall.

“This is Jihoon and Soonyoung.” Seungcheol introduces the pair of best friends. Jihoon pushes Soonyoung’s camera away so that he doesn’t point it straight into Joshua’s face; managing a small smile at the same time.

Joshua smiles at them. “It’s nice to meet you guys. Cheol’s told me a lot about you, Jihoon. And Soonyoung, I’ve read your blog online – I love all your adventures and travel recommendations.”

“Would you like an autograph?” Soonyoung beams. He likes being recognised for his travel blog; and making videos would probably make him more famous, or so he thinks.

“A selfie would be nice, thanks.” Joshua laughs, amused at the outlandish offer.

As Joshua and Soonyoung take the photo together, Samuel excuses himself and hurries back to the kitchen, remembering that he’s still at work; and Joshua slides into the empty seat.

“This is nice.” Jihoon looks around – the muted conversation of the patrons, the tinkling of the bell by the front door everytime someone enters or exits for a warm cup of good coffee. His senses are tingling, stimulated by the aroma of the coffee blend – he’d do anything for a cup right now. He’d thoroughly enjoyed Joshua’s set, watching him with rapt attention – the gentle tone, the twang of the guitar strings. Jihoon has never performed in public, not without the school band, at least. To perform a solo stage like what Joshua did takes a lot of guts, and Jihoon doesn’t have that; so he’d rather keep his music to himself.

Seungcheol grins, stirring his drink with his straw. “Yeah. I’m glad you like it.” 

The next performer starts the next set, as Soonyoung and Joshua are already absorbed in conversation about South Africa. Apparently, Joshua’s been there for some charity project, joining a team of medical first aiders. Soonyoung is accommodating as usual, nodding at Joshua’s tales, adding in little bits of his own; like he’s catching up with an old friend instead of meeting with the young humanitarian for the first time in his life.

“I filmed your performance earlier.” Soonyoung taps his camera, which is still filming the act onstage.

“Oh, thank you!” Joshua smiles, as Samuel brings over some tea for him. “Thanks, Sammy.” The teen rushes off to the next table, busy with the other patrons’ orders.

“It’s part of my latest project.” The vlogger says proudly. “It’ll be released soon.”

“So you’re going to start vlogging?” Joshua guesses.

“He’s trying to, but he’s finding difficulties along the way.” Jihoon interjects, fingering the condensation on his glass.

“Life isn’t easy, Hoonie.” Soonyoung sips his sugary drink.

Jihoon rolls his eyes. “Tell me about it.” He notices the copious amount of sugar in Soonyoung’s beverage – if he finishes it, he’s definitely going to have a sugar rush.

The rest of the evening passes with a handful of entertaining acts – there’s a poet, a pianist and a tap dancer as well as a couple of singers. They’re all good in their own way, showcasing their own talents – but no one stands out enough as Joshua did to Jihoon, so he sits back and watches their performances, keeping in mind that these are all amateurs with real lives, playing out their creative personas onstage with song or dance.

There’s a short intermission, and the café lights brighten up. The chatter inside the room become louder; including between Soonyoung, Seungcheol and Joshua, with Soonyoung as their loud moderator.

Jihoon’s simply sitting with them, barely paying attention to their conversation – maybe they’re talking about San Diego or San Francisco or something, and Jihoon can’t contribute because he knows nothing about those places. His eyes stray around the café, scanning the crowds, then lands on Joshua’s guitar case, remembering the sleek guitar that Joshua had played. It looked expensive, and the sound it made had an excellent timbre.

He wonders what it’d be like playing it – Joshua seemed to have a good time onstage earlier. Jihoon doesn’t remember the feel of the pressing down the wiry strings against the frets to produce one glorious chord – it’s been years since he held a guitar.

Joshua somehow senses Jihoon’s longing, trailing his gaze back to his guitar. He leans over and reaches for the guitar case, opening it and revealing his shiny beige guitar snuggled inside.

“Here you go.” Joshua hands the instrument over to the blond, who carefully takes it. Soonyoung’s already gaping – like this is an important moment in history – and immediately points his camera at his best friend.

The weight of the guitar in his lap is achingly familiar, and his poise comes naturally with the way he’s holding the instrument. Jihoon’s fingers lightly touch the six strings – this isn’t just any guitar. Even the touch of it feels expensive, but he already knows how rich Joshua’s family is.

“Do you play, Jihoon?” Joshua asks gently.

Soonyoung pipes up from behind his camera. “Of course he does!”

“Try something, then.” Seungcheol encourages. Jihoon’s fingers automatically flit to a chord, ready to strum. He already knows what he’s going to play, the lyrics already at the tip of his tongue. He’d played this song so much all those years, one that no one but Soonyoung has ever heard.

But the anticipation in the air – reassuring smiles from Seungcheol and Joshua, and the ever-intimidating wink from the lens of the video camera that Soonyoung is holding stops him, and he snaps out of his poise, letting go of the guitar neck, only supporting its body on his knee.

Not now. Not ever, not in front of an audience of only three people. Lee Jihoon, the confident musician was from a lifetime away.

Samuel suddenly pops out of nowhere, smiling at the four of them. He glances over at Jihoon, who’s still cradling Joshua’s guitar.  

“If you wanna perform, then you can sign up at the counter.” Samuel says. “We always let people perform until closing time, and there’s room for a couple more acts.”

Jihoon shakes his head in deep regret. “I don’t play anymore. It’s fine.” He reluctantly hands the guitar back to its rightful owner.

Soonyoung looks at his best friend – he can sense some kind of dilemma that Jihoon’s going through, but he knows that he can’t pry it out of him right now. Jihoon looked ready to play, but he’d stopped; and Soonyoung’s going to find out why.

The next performer starts tap-dancing onstage, so everyone’s attention is diverted for the rest of the evening. Seungcheol notices that the tiny knot of worry between Jihoon’s eyebrows, so he reaches over for the blond’s hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. He doesn’t know exactly what’s worrying Jihoon, but Soonyoung already picks up the pace and cracks puns that make Jihoon smile.

The four of them stay until the last performer finishes their number. They have to wait for Soonyoung to finish up the remnants of his drink, before packing up their belongings and waving goodbyes to Samuel, who’s behind the counter.

“Maybe if you come in the morning, my grandma would be here.” Samuel calls out, wiping his hands with his black apron.

“Send her my love.” Joshua smiles. “See you, Sammy. Stay in school.”

Seungcheol ruffles Samuel’s hair, and Soonyoung even gives the kid a high five. Jihoon nods at him in acknowledgement, and quickly ducks out of the café onto the street; the Los Angeles nightlife still in full swing. It’s a humid night, and Jihoon automatically tugs his sleeves to hide his fingers.

“I’ll drop you off at your dorm, Josh.” Seungcheol says, as they walk to his jeep. A bunch of revellers pass by them, hollering and singing club songs, and Soonyoung screams along with them.

Joshua tries to decline Seungcheol’s offer, but the surfer insists. “It’ll be late when you arrive in Malibu, though. I’d invite all of you to stay at my place, but my dorm’s kind of small and my roommate doesn’t like having people over.” Joshua reasons.

“You should really upgrade to a single room.” Seungcheol suggests, unlocking his vehicle.

“Next semester, maybe. I still like meeting new people.” Joshua replies.

Soonyoung quickly calls shotgun again, so Jihoon sits in the back with Joshua and his guitar. The medical student awkwardly holds onto his case so that Jihoon doesn’t feel uncomfortable, but Jihoon lets Joshua lean his instrument on the seats, effectively making a barrier between them.

Joshua catches Jihoon staring at his guitar case yet again; and a thought pops into his mind. “Cheol, when are you using my pool again?” He leans forward to ask the surfer.

“Tomorrow, I guess?” Seungcheol says.

Joshua nods. “Then I’ll tell Teddy to prepare my guitars. You can have one of mine, Jihoon.”

“No, it’s fine, you don’t have to do that.”

“I have too many guitars, anyway, and I mostly play this one since I have it with me at my dorm. The others are just collecting dust in my room at home.”

“Joshua, it’s okay. I don’t need a guitar.”

Joshua gives Jihoon a little smirk, nodding in insistence.

In the driver’s seat, Seungcheol just smiles knowingly, peeking glances at a flustered Jihoon in his rearview mirror. Joshua’s simply being nice, but sometimes, he’s a bit excessive with his generosity. 

Soonyoung’s sugar rush suddenly kicks in – he’s twitching and laughing out loud like a madman, singing along incorrect lyrics to the Taiwanese album he’d put on the stereo; so Jihoon can’t argue with Joshua about the guitar. When they reach Joshua’s dorm at UCLA, Jihoon almost begs Joshua to take him along; and the aspiring doctor exits the vehicle with a relieved sigh.

“Take care, guys. It was nice meeting the both of you.” Joshua shoulders his guitar case.

“You too, Joshua! We have to hang out again soon!” Soonyoung shouts, his voice travelling throughout the whole campus.  

“Jihoon, I’m still giving you one of my guitars.” Joshua reminds him.

“That’s unnecessary.” Jihoon tries to shake it off casually, but there’s a slight tremor of nervousness in his voice. He’s not used to this act of kindness – he barely knows Joshua, but he’s already giving away his guitar? And based off Joshua’s background, those are going to be expensive guitars, and Jihoon’s not a charity case.

“I won’t accept no for an answer.” Joshua says almost menacingly, which isn’t menacing at all, thanks to his ever-gentle demeanour; waving the three of them goodbye as Seungcheol pulls away from the roadside.

Jihoon tries to fall asleep in the backseat on the drive back to Malibu, but that’s a difficult feat to achieve when Soonyoung is screaming his lungs out to a Chinese ballad, and Seungcheol’s even providing back-up vocals. There aren’t many cars on the road this late at night, so Jihoon thinks it’s a bit helpful for them to be that loud so that Seungcheol can keep awake while he drives. He still has the urge to stuff Soonyoung’s mouth with a sock, since he’s making weird noises singing along to the stereo, instead of singing the actual lyrics, but hey, that’s Soonyoung for you.  

Eventually, they do make it back to Malibu – Jihoon feels like the journey back took a shorter time compared to driving out to LA – and Seungcheol finally pulls up by the roadside in front of Soonyoung and Jihoon’s rented beach house. The porch is illuminated with bright white light from the lamp that Jihoon had switched on when they’d left for LA earlier, while the rest of the house is dark. In contrast to Los Angeles, Malibu is already asleep; since it’s way past midnight on a weekday.

Jihoon’s about to thank Seungcheol and bid farewell for the evening when Soonyoung suddenly leans over to the surfer and grabs his arm, eyes wide in excitement with an ill-hatched spur-of-the-moment.

“Cheol-hyung, stay over, we can have a slumber party!”

Seungcheol agrees to Soonyoung’s impromptu idea without missing a beat. Jihoon can’t get a word in between, as the two of them are already out of Seungcheol’s jeep, walking up to the front door. Soonyoung shouts for the keys to the front door, which are with Jihoon, forgetting that it’s already quite late. His loud voice echoes throughout the quiet neighbourhood – everyone else is already asleep.

“Don’t mind me, I’m kind of just lazy to drive back to my place.” Seungcheol locks his car remotely as Jihoon fumbles with the house keys, anxious to get inside.

“Welcome to our place. It’s your first time here, right? Do you want the grand tour?” Soonyoung plays the ever-welcoming host, still full of energy past midnight.  

Seungcheol stretches out, glancing around the hallway. “Nah, I’m good. It’s late anyway, and Jihoonie seems tired.”

Jihoon flushes a little, conscious that Seungcheol noticed him trying to hide a yawn.

“Soonie. Where is he going to sleep?” Jihoon grabs his best friend, whispering fiercely into his ear. For some reason, he’s worrying about their sleeping arrangements – there are only two proper bedrooms in the house; one for Jihoon and the other for Soonyoung, so where would the surfer sleep?

(Not that Jihoon would mind sharing with Seungcheol, since Soonyoung is a violent sleeper and thrashes around in his slumber, and no one should be subjected to that kind of torture.)

Seungcheol must’ve detected Jihoon’s concern, because he simply shrugs it off. “Don’t worry too much about me, guys. Just the couch would be fine, thanks.” The surfer ventures into the adjacent living room, flopping onto the sofa and immediately making himself at home.

“Hyung, when I said slumber party, I meant it.” Soonyoung says, with the most serious expression on his face. “Hoonie, go grab pillows and blankets – we’re all going to sleep in the living room tonight and stay up and gossip and talk about our lives and dreams!” Soonyoung’s already halfway up the stairs before he finishes his sentence.

“Only girls do that, you dork!” Jihoon shouts after Soonyoung, following him upstairs, leaving Seungcheol alone in the living room. Soonyoung’s already messing up his bed, grabbing all the pillows (just how many pillows does he sleep with?) that he has, cradling them in his arms.

“Oh, I’m sorry to challenge your masculinity – I’m A MAN, I DON’T TALK ABOUT FEELINGS.” Soonyoung pops his head out of the bundle of fluff that he’s holding. His tone is sarcastic, almost rare for him, since Soonyoung is almost always all sunshine and rainbows – sarcasm is more in Jihoon’s department.

“We can do our nails while we’re at it then!” Jihoon laughs, bursting into his own room and oddly complying with Soonyoung’s earlier instructions, gathering his own pillows and blankets to take them down to the living room.

Soonyoung appears in his bedroom doorway, carrying his bundle of pillows. “Hoonie, don’t be ridiculous. We don’t have nail polish.”

Jihoon knows, if there had been nail polish somewhere in the house, he’d have sparkly, primped up nails tomorrow.

Soonyoung flounces down the stairs two at a time to join Seungcheol in the living room. The surfer’s already resting on the couch with his eyes closed, but he sits up when he sees the pair holding the blankets, ready for a slumber party like mentioned before.

“Can we have a movie marathon?” Soonyoung asks, as he spreads out a blanket smack in the middle of the living room, after the coffee table has been moved aside by the strong Seungcheol.

“No.” Comes Jihoon’s sharp reply. They’d spent the whole day watching enough Disney movies to last for the next five years.

“So we _can_ talk about our feelings and hopes and dreams.” Soonyoung grins, fluffing a pillow.

Jihoon rolls his eyes. “I’d rather build a pillow fort instead.”

Soonyoung starts arranging the pillows into something resembling a fort-like structure, making sure it’s big enough to at least fit Jihoon inside it. Jihoon quickly picks a cushion off the couch and aims it at Soonyoung, and his little pillow fort comes crashing down.

Seungcheol watches the pair with an amused expression – it intrigues him that two people with virtually different personalities can get along fairly well. “How long have you two known each other?”

Jihoon starts hitting Soonyoung, who’s still buried under the ruins of his pillow fort with another cushion plucked from the sofa. “Forever.”

“Literally.”

“I’ve never gone a second without knowing him, and that’s the biggest regret of my life.” Jihoon climbs onto the pile of pillows burying Soonyoung and sits on it, claiming his throne.

“Those five months of my life without Hoonie were the worst part of my life.” Soonyoung’s muffled voice floats out from under the pillows. “Our parents introduced us the moment Hoonie was born, I think I was there when he came into this life.”

“I doubt you even remember that.” Jihoon shoots back, rolling his eyes at Soonyoung’s exaggeration. Sure, they’d known each other since birth – Soonyoung probably had a photo of them together as babies, taken by Jihoon’s dad. The vlogger’s the sentimental one between them, keeping archives of memories of just about everything.

“Cheol-hyung, help me.” Soonyoung whimpers, and Seungcheol drags the vlogger out from his fluffy tomb.

Once Soonyoung gets to his feet, he gets hit by a cushion directly in his face, courtesy of one grumpy Lee Jihoon.

“Awww, I love you too, little Hoonie.” Soonyoung walks over to Jihoon and ruffles his hair. “My baby brother.”

Seungcheol smiles at the brotherhood between the two friends. Even though Jihoon doesn’t show as much affection towards Soonyoung, he’s the only one who can tolerate him with his outrageous ideas. Sometimes Seungcheol thinks that Soonyoung’s endless energy can be overwhelming – he’s an incredibly fun person to be around with; and Seungcheol feels the need to keep up with him to maintain the fun atmosphere - but Jihoon can easily shut him down by remaining passive.

“Cheol-hyung should sleep in the middle since he’s our guest of honour tonight.” Soonyoung declares, making Seungcheol sit in the middle of the blanket laid out on the floor.

“How many pillows did you bring? I had four.” Jihoon starts counting all the pillows they’d brought down from their bedrooms upstairs.

“Six.” Soonyoung simply replies, sitting down in the midst of the blankets and pillows; already grabbing a few pillows for himself, trying to rebuild his pillow fort.

“Why do you need so many pillows?”

Soonyoung leaps up to his feet, ignoring Jihoon’s question. “I’m going to change my pants. Cheol-hyung, do you want sweats, or do you sleep naked?”

“Not tonight, no.” Seungcheol laughs, his neck flushing; and Jihoon has the same effect, already imagining illicit things, with Soonyoung out of the picture. “If you could spare me a pair, that would be great.”

“Be ready for bed in fifteen minutes! Last one to get here is a stinky loser.” Soonyoung declares, rushing off; and Seungcheol turns into a kid again, following Soonyoung upstairs; the both of them giggling like mad.

Jihoon finds himself alone in the living room – between Seungcheol or Soonyoung, he doesn’t know who’s harder to handle. Sure, Jihoon’s used to Soonyoung, but he can be unpredictable; and he’s still not sure how to act around Seungcheol.

This is going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello baby sam and welcome to the gang josh!  
> as always, feedback is welcome. ^^


	24. don't listen in secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> leader line sleepover

Jihoon pads downstairs in his sweatpants and oversized T-shirt; his standard sleepwear. He’d taken his sweet, sweet time to get ready for bed; trying on different combinations of pyjamas, then starting an unnecessarily tedious skincare routine which he’d never done before. Of course, Seungcheol and Soonyoung are already lounging in the living room – Jihoon had heard them brushing their teeth together earlier in the bathroom; at this point, Soonyoung is going to declare Seungcheol his best friend, since the two of them are really clicking.

(Sometimes Jihoon envies Soonyoung’s ability to warm up to just anybody – but the thought that he’d have to talk to people drains him, so no thanks.)  

“I did taekwondo in school,” Seungcheol’s saying. Jihoon can’t see the surfer since he’s blocked by the couch; but the blond stands in the hallway for a little while more to summon all his strength to face those two. A passing image of Seungcheol attempting a high kick materializes in his brain.

What a delicious sight.

“Hey, me too! I put the _Kwon_ in tae _kwon_ do.” Soonyoung giggles; while Seungcheol bursts into gut-busting laughter, peals of mirth echoing throughout the house.

Great, now they’re bonding; and over a pun, too!  

Jihoon peeks over the couch to see the two men already lying down on the floor, curled up between the pillows, facing each other. A tinge of jealousy pinches in Jihoon’s chest – they aren’t supposed to look _that_ intimate! (If Jihoon didn’t know better, he’d think that Soonyoung might just like _like_ Seungcheol; but of course, Soonyoung’s just being his overly-friendly self.)

Soonyoung’s giggles cease, but his grin doesn’t leave his face. “Hoonie doesn’t need taekwondo; he’ll just kick your butt if you cross him.”

Jihoon saunters over to an unsuspecting Soonyoung and kicks his backside. The vlogger shouts out in exaggerated pain, as Jihoon tries to hide a smile, keeping his lips in a thin line.

“Go lie down next to Cheol-hyung, Hoonie.” Soonyoung orders, rubbing his butt. “I’m going to turn off the lights so we all can sleep.”

Jihoon tries to make himself comfortable next to Seungcheol, drawing an imaginary boundary between the surfer and himself - just in case, since Soonyoung’s hogging all the pillows.

The vlogger gets up to switch off the light, then stumbles along in the dark, bumping into the couch three times before he finds his spot again. Jihoon snorts as he hears Soonyoung cursing as he stubs his toe by the little side table – he could’ve switched the lights off earlier instead of Soonyoung, who’s partially blind in the dark.

The streetlights from outside stream through the windows, dimly illuminating the living room; and Jihoon can barely make out Seungcheol’s form next to him. His senses become more acute in the darkness, more aware of his surroundings. Jihoon doubts he’d sleep well tonight – his heart his pounding loudly, a tad too excited for no reason.

(Maybe there _is_ a reason, but Jihoon’s not going to openly admit that.)

“Good night, guys.” Seungcheol’s voice floats into the darkness.

“Night.” Jihoon yawns just loud enough for Seungcheol to hear. He closes his eyes and wills for his heart to rest – he needs the sleep; since it had been another long day of babysitting Soonyoung.

A moment passes, then Soonyoung pulls Seungcheol into a short conversation, something about piñatas. They’re giggling like schoolkids over lame puns; and Jihoon knows that this is the result of Soonyoung’s sugar rush. Seungcheol? Either he’s as lame as Soonyoung is, or he’s playing along with the vlogger’s jokes. In this rate, Soonyoung’s never going to fall asleep in the next hour. They keep talking about random things in the dark, while Jihoon keeps his eyes closed, hoping to fall asleep, while eavesdropping on their conversation at the same time.

Soonyoung sighs. “It would’ve been fun if Wonwoo was here too. You’d like his jokes, Cheol-hyung.”

Jihoon coughs – three’s a crowd, and so is four. If Soonyoung were next to him, he’d kick him in the shin to shut him up – it’s the nth time that Soonyoung has mentioned Wonwoo that day. Jihoon hopes that the two of them will go to sleep soon, since he’s tired, and their incessant whispering is bothering him – and no, he’s not jealous that Seungcheol and Soonyoung are bonding.

Nope, definitely not.

But he still feels like kicking Soonyoung again anyway.

Jihoon’s conscious of Seungcheol’s warm body lying next to him in the semi-darkness, the rumble of his low voice deliciously sending shivers down his spine. Maybe they shouldn’t sleep yet – he’d still like to listen to Seungcheol’s voice a bit more. Would it be pretentious if he took out his phone and recorded Seungcheol’s deep tone, just to lull himself to sleep when the surfer’s not around?

“We could watch that movie he made.” Soonyoung pipes up, rustling under the covers.

“Which one?”

“ _When the Wind Blows._ Starring heartthrob actor Yoon Jeonghan.” Soonyoung adds in the last bit unnecessarily – it was the movie that made the actor famous internationally; being nominated for several acclaimed film awards, too. Jihoon remembers that Mingyu from Human Resources had played the movie once at the company’s movie night, but he doesn’t remember the plot, only the androgynous actor with long, flowing hair that whipped around in the wind.

“I love that movie!” Seungcheol gushes. “I made Joshua watch it with me. He might have a crush on Jeonghan.”

Soonyoung giggles. “That scene when he’s by the river, holding that paper airplane, hoping that the wind will bring it to his love, wherever she is…”

“You know that’s impossible by the law of physics.” Jihoon retorts, pulling the blankets over to his side; since Soonyoung’s hogging it all.  

“I thought you’re asleep, Hoonie.” Soonyoung says. “But anyway, Wonwoo worked on that movie. Now he’s doing something huge. I think Angelina Jolie’s in it.”

“That’s really awesome.” It sounds like Seungcheol’s starstruck.

“Hyung, you said that you wanted to be an actor, right?”

Seungcheol simply hums in response. Right now, he doesn’t feel that way anymore, though he remembers his eighteen-year-old self, starry-eyed, boarding a flight to the City of Angels so that one day, with perserverence and hard work, he’d get a star on the Walk of Fame, too. He’d eased into the simple life of being a swim and surf instructor, and his exclusive lessons with Jihoon had been the highlight for the past week.

“Maybe we could ask for Wonwoo’s connections and see if he can help you.” Soonyoung suggests.

“I don’t know. Right now I just want to surf.”

“Are you teaching Hoonie again tomorrow?”

“If he’s up for it?” Seungcheol turns over to Jihoon. The blond seems to be asleep; his eyes shut tight, arms crossed on his chest like a mummy.  

“Ooh, can I come?”

“Sure, why not?”

Jihoon groans quietly in the darkness, a little frown knotted between his eyebrows. Can’t he get a little one-on-one moment with Seungcheol? Soonyoung could go bother Wonwoo or something!

Soonyoung starts talking about Hawaii – about the food and culture and how cool the Hawaiian surfers were. Seungcheol listens to the vlogger intently; he’d never had the chance to travel extensively like Soonyoung did, thanks to college.

It’s always been a dream of Seungcheol’s; to surf the legendary Hawaiian waves, after all it’s where the sport had originated from, and it would be nice to pay tribute and experience them himself. But he’s not sure that he’d ever get the chance – his earnings are used for rent and food; and the rest of it for his student loans.

He’s just a poor surfer, too far away from his homeland; trying to put together a decent living on his own. His own parents worry about him too much, asking for him to return to his hometown, but Seungcheol wants to be independent and sees this as a challenge. It’s hard to come by decent jobs, but for now, he thinks that he’ll scrape by; thanks to Soonyoung’s generous contribution in exchange for surfing lessons.

Seungcheol barely listens to Soonyoung’s anecdote; his mind is already wandering off far away. Unconsciously, he starts comparing his life to Soonyoung and Jihoon’s. To him, Soonyoung’s a well-off travel vlogger who can pay his way through anything; or just by using his charms. Jihoon? He’s still an enigma – the only piece of information he’d managed to extract from Soonyoung was that Jihoon’s on an extended break from work.  He’s not even sure what Jihoon does for a living that makes him so high-strung; and his secret past with music. Despite spending most of their time together lately, Seungcheol knows next to nothing about the blond, even though he’d practically told him his life story. Seungcheol thinks that sharing should go two ways – holding on to tightly to the little sliver of hope that as much as Jihoon trusts him with his life (at least indirectly, in the form of swimming lessons); he’d trust him with his past, too.

That’s what Seungcheol wants; to know Jihoon better.

Soonyoung peeks over Seungcheol’s supine body to see that Jihoon’s already fast asleep in a soldier-like position. He flops back onto his pillows; Seungcheol watching him with a slightly puzzled look. Though it’s late, they’re both still quite awake. Soonyoung’s sugar rush has significantly receded, and he’s much calmer now.

“Hyung, remember earlier when Hoonie was going to play on Joshua’s guitar but then he suddenly stopped?” Soonyoung whispers, scrambling for his phone in the darkness.

Seungcheol nods, but Soonyoung doesn’t see him; handing him an earphone instead. The other half of the earphone is already plugged into the vlogger’s ear; and though Seungcheol doesn’t know where this conversation is leading, he follows suit.

“Listen to this.” The faint glow of Soonyoung’s phone illuminate his face as he plays an unknown recording.

A soft piano melody fills Seungcheol’s ear, ascending slightly as the introductory bars build up into the first verse. A quiet voice starts singing sweetly in Korean; a voice that Seungcheol doesn’t really recognize. The verse transitions smoothly into the chorus; emotions building.

_I just want it simple._

The voice sounds delicate, fragile; with the piano accompaniment, and despite the poor recording, it sounds like a complete song. Seungcheol lets the soulful voice seep into his mind, trying to wrap each contour of his brain in its silky vocals – it sounds like an angel singing – and finds himself disappointed when the song ends. One listen, and he’s already hooked; and now he wants to listen to it forever.

“Hoonie wrote that song when he was fifteen.” Soonyoung explains softly. “He’d play it every single day, but he never let anyone else listen. I just recorded it one day and he doesn’t know I did.”

“Jihoonie…” Seungcheol breathes. “He wrote and sang that.”

“It’s a nice song, right?” Soonyoung grins in the dark, staring at the ceiling.

“It’s incredible.” The surfer lets the fact sink into his mind, glancing at Jihoon’s sleeping form right next to him; becoming aware of their proximity – their sides are nearly touching, and he can feel the warmth radiating from Jihoon’s body. “Can I listen to that again?”

Soonyoung wordlessly presses play, and Jihoon’s sweet voice starts singing again.

“There’s a meaning to the lyrics too.” Soonyoung says, once the song ends again. “He used to love music so much, but he stopped.”

“He’s a bit hesitant to play now.” Seungcheol remembers the times they’d hang out at Joshua’s piano, then he’d bug the blond to play something. Jihoon had played at his request, but those were basic songs that even five-year-olds could play, sometimes even scales or arpeggios.  

Seungcheol never thought that Jihoon could compose and sing a masterpiece like that. A new light into Jihoon’s world, and possibly his past. The surfer glances as Jihoon’s peaceful sleeping form, wondering what else could he be hiding from the world.

Soonyoung sighs. “I miss old Hoonie.”

Seungcheol grabs Soonyoung’s phone and presses play once more, letting the song lull him to sleep.  

* * *

Jihoon wakes up to rhythmic snoring and warmness. He nuzzles his face further into the fabric, that familiar scent of the beach slightly masked by a faint musk, the all-too familiar scent of a certain Choi Seungcheol.

_Smells like Seungcheol. Redux._

He jerks his head up once realising that he’s been sleeping on Seungcheol’s chest; his limbs wrapped intimately around the surfer’s body. Seungcheol’s arm snakes protectively around him, holding him close.

Lee Jihoon, you’ve done it this time…

He doesn’t remember cuddling up to Seungcheol – his last memory before falling asleep is the faint sounds of Seungcheol’s voice talking about something vague and that there had been a gap of at least two inches between them.

So to wake up to this? Their limbs entertwined, Jihoon resting his head on Seungcheol’s chest – it’s like a scene from one of Those Romantic Movies that Mingyu from Human Resources always plays. The small blond peeks over Seungcheol to look for his best friend, but Soonyoung, that traitor – he’d moved up to the couch with his numerous pillows, his phone buzzing in his hand as he snores lightly; leaving Jihoon and Seungcheol on the floor, close together.

Jihoon tries to extricate himself from the cuddle, to march over to Soonyoung and whack him upside down in the head with a cushion; but Seungcheol’s arm holds him in position – now he’s trapped in the surfer’s embrace.

Another Cliché from Those Romantic Movies: now Jihoon doesn’t want to wake Seungcheol up especially if he moves suddenly, so he simply rests his head back onto Seungcheol’s chest, not knowing what to do.

No wonder Soonyoung likes cuddles – it’s warm and it makes people happy.

He listens to Seungcheol’s slow breathing for a while; and the rhythm of his heartbeat.

Jihoon has no idea what time it is; it’s still probably quite early since it’s still dark outside. So he rests his eyes for a second, then promptly falls back asleep.

As if on cue, Soonyoung peels an eye open, glancing over at the couple on the floor (not that they’re already a real couple, but Soonyoung already thinks so). He’d woken up early, as usual, but before he can wake up the entire neighbourhood with pansori, he’d found Jihoon and Seungcheol all cuddled up next to him, so he’d grabbed a few pillows and made himself comfortable on the couch, pretending that the mass of pillows is Wonwoo.

Maybe Wonwoo would be fun to cuddle, even though he looks skinny, Soonyoung thinks. He glances at the couple sleeping on the floor and stifles a giggle, quickly unlocking his phone, disregarding all the other notifications to look at his photo gallery instead. There are already several sneakily-taken photos of Jihoon and Seungcheol cuddling up together oh-so-intimately, and it takes all of Soonyoung’s self-control so that he doesn’t suddenly squeal out loud. They look so peaceful sleeping, comfortable in each other’s embrace, and Soonyoung secretly lauds his own photography skills.

He snaps another photo, because why not? Adding the latest picture to an exclusive Jihoon-and-Seungcheol folder in his gallery, he grins to himself. There’s definitely something between his best friend and the surfer – Soonyoung’s met so many people from around the world to know what love looks like.

He checks his messages, since his phone’s been vibrating in his hand when he’d pretended to sleep when Jihoon had woken up briefly earlier. Wonwoo’s sent him a string of text messages, and his heart skips a beat. Wonwoo’s apologizing for being absent for the past few days, stuck at work; and that he’s ready to help Soonyoung with his videos again.

The smile on Soonyoung’s face doesn’t falter as he reads Wonwoo’s messages, because he already knows it’s going to be a good day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for those who are still reading this, thank you for sticking with this monster of a story. there's still A LOT more to come; I'll try to work harder on this fic so it turns out better, hopefully life won't mess too much with me... :')  
> feedback will be very much appreciated, always! :)


	25. i guess i'm lucky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soonyoung's number song: [ here! ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3SCJ61xr1U)

“One-and-two-and-three-and-FOUR-AND!”

If there’s an award for Third Wheel of the Year, a certain Kwon Soonyoung would certainly win it. The vlogger’s armed with his camera (of course), planning to film Jihoon’s swimming lesson. There’s a weird feeling in Jihoon’s gut, since having Soonyoung around makes him slightly on edge, and it’s certainly not helping that his best friend is singing a Korean children’s song at the top of his lungs, and that Seungcheol is shirtless again, scrolling on his phone nearby.

At least today Jihoon decided to stick his wetsuit on. He’s prepared for his lesson, his kickboard by his feet. His street clothes are neatly folded on a deck chair next to him.

“LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU; FIVE - I’M GOING TO TELL YOU TODAY.” Soonyoung croons.

Jihoon remembers singing to that song when he was four years old, learning how to count. Soonyoung himself had always mixed up the numbers, growing up with the belief that the number order goes: one, three, two, six, four, five. Imagine his shock when he entered elementary school, and had to learn how to count from scratch; but he’d picked up quickly, singing the number song in the correct order every day after school when waiting for Jihoon’s grandmother to fetch the both of them.

“SIX! I MET YOU IN A WORLD OF SIX BILLION PEOPLE – NUMBER SEVEN IS LUCKYYYYYY.”

Jihoon shoots Soonyoung with a death glare that says _I’m going to push you into the pool with your camera_ before he can finish his impromptu recital. Soonyoung stops singing, but it doesn’t stop him from humming the rest of the song; and he flounces away from Jihoon just in case he goes through with his threat. 

“Oh, yeah, Cheol-hyung? Wonwoo’s coming over?” Soonyoung says excitedly. He’d just texted the budding cinematographer Joshua’s address, and he’s eager to see Wonwoo again.

“Mmm.” Seungcheol nods, barely registering Soonyoung’s words, while Jihoon presses his eyebrows into a frown – the Hong mansion is going to be a filming location for Soonyoung’s vlog.

Soonyoung flounces over to Jihoon, scrutinizing him unnecessarily, like a predator preying on prey; and Jihoon feels self-conscious in his wetsuit that’s clinging to his skin a bit too tightly.

“You look like when we were ten! Remember your old kickboard?” Soonyoung picks up the black kickboard at Jihoon’s feet. “Ooh, now you have a man-sized kickboard!”

“Shut up, Soonie.” Jihoon snatches the kickboard away from his best friend, contemplating whether to smack him with it.

Soonyoung snaps a photograph of Jihoon with his phone; the sudden flash surprising him. “I’m sending this to your mum and dad and Aunt Nana.”

Jihoon can’t stop him anyway, since Soonyoung is always faster than LTE; so, he ignores his excited best friend and turns to the shirtless Seungcheol, who’s still on his phone looking at who knows what.

(Seungcheol’s been staring at the photo of Jihoon wearing marshmallow armbands with himself taken by Teddy the other day for the past fifteen minutes, with a dopey grin on his face, feeling like the luckiest guy on earth.)

“Hey Cheol, lesson?”

“Right.” Seungcheol grins, setting his phone on the poolside table. He stretches languidly for a little warm-up, then slips into the pool easily, like the water’s his home, and nods at Jihoon to follow suit, which Jihoon does.

Soonyoung waves for Teddy to come over to help him film as Seungcheol and Jihoon start their swimming lesson. The old butler calmly walks over, and Soonyoung hands him the camera, so that he can appear in front of it to narrate whatever is happening in the pool.

“Hello viewers! Soonie and Hoonie in M-A-L-I-B-U! Today Cheol-hyung is teaching Hoonie how to swim, which is sweet and they look so cute, don’t they?”

Jihoon splashes some water in Soonyoung’s general direction, but the vlogger expertly hops away to avoid it. He chatters on about swimming and Jihoon and Seungcheol, essentially distracting Jihoon from Seungcheol and his lesson.

“Soonyoung.” Seungcheol calls out calmly. “Keep it down, will you?”

“Sorry, Cheol-hyung!” The vlogger bows ninety degrees in apology, as Teddy hands him back his camera, hearing the doorbell ring. “I’ll just sit hear quietly and film, then.”

Soonyoung sits on one of the pool chairs and trains the camera onto Jihoon, who’s floating on his kickboard – he’d improved so much that he doesn’t have to tiptoe on the floor of the swimming pool anymore (Jihoon adamantly denies that he’d been doing this, when Seungcheol points it out, but now he can say it truthfully). The secure feeling he’d felt when his feet were planted on the swimming pool floor – knowing that he wouldn’t suddenly drown – had been replaced with the confidence that he can at least paddle around the whole pool with his kickboard.

Oddly enough, the kickboard reminded Jihoon of surfing – the feel of the vast body of water ahead, the dynamic movement of the ocean, and the scent of salt in the atmosphere; paddling around on the surface of the sea with his huge, rented longboard. Only now, his kickboard is much, much smaller, and there are no surprise waves unless Seungcheol’s in a teasing mood.

Seungcheol can only sigh inwardly at Soonyoung’s antics, but he quickly returns his attention back to Jihoon.

“Back to basics today Jihoonie. Let’s try treading water. I want you to be comfortable without your kickboard.”

Jihoon reluctantly leaves his kickboard by the poolside, then slowly drifts toward Seungcheol, who’s floating in the middle of the pool. The surfer spreads his arms, as if welcoming Jihoon with an embrace. Only that Jihoon is moving at two centimetres per hour, unsure without his kickboard, and pressured under the scrutiny of Soonyoung’s camera.

Soonyoung films them quietly with a huge smile on his face, secretly wishing for Jihoon to reach Seungcheol quicker.

“Mr Kwon, do you know a Mr Jeon Wonwoo and a Mr Lee Chan?” Teddy appears from nowhere, with two young men – one tall and lanky, and the other smaller, but with curious young eyes – following him through the French doors.

“WONWOO! DINO!” Soonyoung almost drops his camera as he rushes over to the new additions, enveloping them into a tight hug, mumbling something into Wonwoo’s shoulder.

“…Dino?” Wonwoo frowns, stiff in Soonyoung’s embrace. Next to him, Chan the intern makes a confused face – he has absolutely no idea what’s going on, poor soul, being roped into the whole thing just because Wonwoo didn’t want to face Soonyoung alone.

“Little Dino guy over here.” Soonyoung pats young Chan’s hair fondly, pressing the camera into his face.

The intern clears his throat shyly, slowly backing away. “My name’s Chan, actually.”

“I think that Dino’s a cool nickname for you.” Soonyoung grins, remembering young Chan’s dinosaur figurines. The intern makes the connection quickly and shakes his head, a weak smile on his face, too polite to reject the nickname. “Anyway. You’ve met my best friend Hoonie and that’s Cheol-hyung. Hoonie’s learning how to swim.”

Wonwoo nods at the pair in the pool, while Chan raises a hand in acknowledgment, smiling at them. Seungcheol waves back, then turns back to Jihoon, who’s already notably closer to him. Teddy quietly excuses himself, letting everyone mingle, and returns indoors.

“Soooooo. How are you?” Soonyoung smiles, brighter than the sun.

“I’m good.” Chan mumbles, nodding slightly.

“What about you, Won-won?”

Wonwoo looks scandalised at the sudden nickname that Soonyoung had suddenly bestowed upon him, as a small laugh escapes Jihoon’s lips, sounding like he’s getting water in his nose from laughing too hard in the swimming pool. He shrugs casually instead, though internally, he’s flattered that Soonyoung has a nickname for him, even if it sounds cheesy.

No one’s ever given him a nickname. Ever.

“Great.” Wonwoo manages to choke out.

“C’mon, let’s hang out inside and leave these two _lovebirds_ to do whatever they want to do.” The vlogger immediately drags Wonwoo and Chan back inside, into the airy sitting room where Jihoon and Seungcheol routinely spend their lazy afternoons after a whole morning of swimming for the past few days.

Wonwoo unshoulders his backpack and makes himself comfortable on the couch, as Chan drifts over to the bookshelf, eyeing the spines of the neatly arranged books.

“This is Cheol-hyung’s friend’s house. Hope you don’t mind hanging here! The guy who brought you in is Teddy, he’s a really cool guy.” Soonyoung flops right beside Wonwoo – a little too close for comfort.

“Alright.” Wonwoo powers his laptop up, adjusting his glasses. “I’ve compiled a couple more videos for your vlog.”

“Wait, what?” The vlogger leans forward, naturally settling his chin on Wonwoo’s shoulder. “You didn’t have to do that! And I thought you were busy with work…”

Wonwoo _had_ been busy with work – the huge Hollywood project he’d been leading had just wrapped up; in record time, enabling it to be released ahead of schedule. It had been stressful for Wonwoo, who’d thrown himself into work for the past few days, ignoring all forms of communication from the world. He’d been especially guilty when he saw Soonyoung’s missed calls and messages, and managed to squeeze in some time to edit the vlogger’s footage between finishing up his own project.

“Chan helped me.” Wonwoo lies, hoping that the young intern won’t overhear him. He selects a folder, and the thumbnails of the completed vlogs appear on his computer screen. “I think that your vlog can be a mini-series, now that there’s four parts.”

Soonyoung goggles at the videos, his mouth agape; as a fond little smile forms on Wonwoo’s lips.

“Can we watch them?” Soonyoung’s eyes are twinkling with excitement.

Wonwoo simply smirks and presses play.

* * *

The rest of the morning passes by quickly: Jihoon and Seungcheol swimming outside, while Soonyoung and Wonwoo watch the final cut of Soonyoung’s vlogs. Chan feels completely out of place, so he christens himself cameraman, arming himself with Soonyoung’s abandoned camera, filming Soonyoung’s excessive gestures as he reacts to the videos of himself that Wonwoo had compiled.

“Hoonie! You’re getting a tan.” Soonyoung says, as his best friend enters the house with Seungcheol in tow. They both have towels thrown around their necks, hair still damp from the pool.

Pale, pale Lee Jihoon, now soaking up sunshine in South California, his exposed skin turning slightly red. And it’s not because of Seungcheol’s close proximity, who’s practically breathing down his neck.

“It’s a sunburn, Soonie.” Jihoon tugs the collar of his wetsuit down to compare the covered skin underneath with his exposed neck. He’d diligently slathered on SPF 15 since the moment he touched down in Los Angeles, but apparently his skin is a bit sensitive to the sun, after twenty-odd years of being indoors all day. That, and the extended time he’d been exposing himself to the sun with his swimming/surfing lessons.

“I’ll get you sunscreen with a higher SPF.” Seungcheol’s not affected, instead, he’s glowing like a freaking Greek god after being in the sun. “Maybe aloe vera gel to soothe the sunburn?”

Jihoon simply hums at the suggestion – he feels like a roasted crab right now, and Soonyoung roasting him verbally (though his best friend would defend that he’s just stating the _truth_ ) isn’t helping much.

“You have green hair, too. Like a lettuce.” Soonyoung adds bluntly. On normal days, he knows that Jihoon would attack him – physically, verbally – but with Seungcheol around, Jihoon wouldn’t do anything out of line.

Jihoon instinctively touches his bangs – he’d noticed that since a few days ago, but he didn’t think the discolouration was obvious. Blond hair is always susceptible to bleaching from the chlorine used to clean swimming pools; Teddy had said, right after the first swimming session, then he’d shared a few pointers to preserve the lighter colour. Jihoon liked the blond, but now the green had an odd hue against his skin. He should’ve listened to Teddy’s advice, like getting a swim cap to prevent the colour change; but he’d thought it wasn’t a very flattering look…

“It’s not completely green.” Seungcheol retaliates, placing a hand on Jihoon’s shoulder.

“There are ways to get the chlorine out of your hair.” Wonwoo adds helpfully, glancing at Jihoon.

The now not-so-blond Jihoon nods. “I’ll look them up, thanks. But I don’t really mind what colour my hair is.” His words are the contrary of his thoughts.

“It’s fine, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol touches Jihoon’s hair lightly, smiling. The surfer thinks that Jihoon would look good in just about any hair colour, if he’s that daring to dye it. 

The vlogger smiles at Seungcheol, secretly thanking him for taming his best friend – Jihoon’s clenched fists shows that he’s really suppressing himself from lashing out at him for saying something embarrassing. “We should have a pool party here sometime.” Soonyoung comments randomly, stretching languidly next to Wonwoo.

Seungcheol’s eyes widen, immediately shaking his head. “Uh-uh. Josh would kill me.”

“It’s a nice place, so why not?” Soonyoung’s already imagining the ambitious camera shots he’d take of the grand mansion. It’d be like one of those shows on MTV, the one about cribs or something. The Hong mansion reminds Soonyoung of his family estate back in Korea, and suddenly he feels a bit homesick.

Teddy the butler cuts in smoothly, appearing in the doorway. “Mr Choi, Mr Jihoon, the showers are ready.”

“Thanks, Teddy.” Seungcheol grins.

“Lunch will be right after.” The old butler adds, holding the door open for them.

Soonyoung immediately leans over to Wonwoo, whispering. “They’re gonna shower together.” Wonwoo simply raises an eyebrow at the information, unsure of its truth, as he watches Jihoon and Seungcheol leave the room.

 The vlogger bursts into melodic laughter seeing Wonwoo’s reaction, then focuses on the Hongs’ butler, who’s impeccably dressed in his suit as usual. “Hey Teddy, do you want to learn Korean?”

“Young Master Joshua did teach me a few phrases.” Teddy says, keeping his expression neutral.

“I’ll teach you a song. It’s a number song.” Soonyoung sits cross-legged on the floor. “Sit down here!” He pats the space next to him. The butler hesitantly joins him, looking out of place in his impeccable uniform among the youngsters.

Chan trains the camera on Soonyoung, who starts singing the number song that’s been on loop in his head all morning. He’s patient in teaching old Teddy the Korean numbers, then launching into the happy lyrics, added with disgustingly cute gestures.

A fond smile creeps onto Wonwoo’s face, as he watches Soonyoung teach Teddy pronounce the correct syllables.

Silly Soonyoung, with outrageous ideas - exactly what makes people drawn to him. Though sometimes it’s tough to keep up with Soonyoung’s endless energy, it’s undeniable that spending time with him is so much fun.

“Won-won, you know the song, right?” Soonyoung turns to Wonwoo with a bright grin.

“I haven’t sung it in a while…” Wonwoo had vague memories of singing the popular children’s song when he was younger.

“ONE AND TWO AND THREE AND FOUR AND!”

Teddy simply claps his hands along to the beat as Soonyoung sings at the top of his lungs. Chan smiles as he films the scene, though he has no idea what the Korean words mean, as Wonwoo nods his head along to the children’s song. Soonyoung seems determined to teach Teddy the whole song at once, as the old butler shyly mumbles the words, trying to replicate the foreign sounds that Soonyoung’s making.

Fifteen minutes later, Jihoon peeps in through the door, fresh from his shower, dressed comfortably in a T-shirt and shorts. He’s not prepared for the scene before him: his best friend trying to teach an elderly man the words to a Korean children’s song. 

“Yo Lettuce-head. Come join us.” Soonyoung waves his best friend over.

“What? Oh, no, you’re singing that song again.” Jihoon regrets ever returning to the den after his refreshing shower (separately from Seungcheol, of course!). 

Jihoon’s forced into Soonyoung and Teddy’s little circle by Seungcheol, who suddenly turns up behind him, singing the song with as much vigour as Soonyoung. The vlogger pulls Wonwoo down to the floor next to him, and makes everyone sing the number song in chorus for about five more times as Chan films them all.

“Alright, lunch would be getting cold. This way, gentlemen.” Teddy gets to his feet once Soonyoung stops to catch his breath. Everyone immediately gets up, excited at the prospect of food. Wonwoo’s already behind Teddy’s tailcoats, followed by Jihoon and Seungcheol. Soonyoung stays back to retrieve his video camera and reviews the footage, mostly of the last chorus of them singing. Everyone looks happy, even Jihoon, who’s wearing a tiny irritated smile.

“You have nice camera skills, Dino.” Soonyoung loops his arm around the intern’s shoulders, grinning.

“It’s Chan. But thanks, anyway.”

“You wanna be my apprentice?”

“Uh…” Chan’s surprised by the casual offer – he’s not sure why he’s here in the first place, since Wonwoo told him that he needed help. He can’t say no to the bespectacled man, who holds seniority over him, and young Chan would take any opportunity to learn new things.

“You’d get to travel the world with me, and you’ll get a cool nickname.” Soonyoung adds. He’d barely given it a proper thought, but maybe Chan can be a one-man crew when his travel vlog breaks the internet! Soonyoung knows that Chan is a driven person, seeing bits of himself in the young intern.

“If you’re gonna call me Dino, I’d have to say no.”

Soonyoung gasps dramatically. “OHMYGOD that rhymed.” Chan laughs heartily at the vlogger’s excessive reaction, as the pair arrive at the sunny deck, where Seungcheol is helping Teddy serve lunch. The vlogger slides into the seat right next to Wonwoo, right across Jihoon, barely spares a glance at his best friend, already homing in onto the spread in front of him.

“Extra rice for Mr Jihoon.”

“Thanks.” Jihoon smiles graciously at the butler as a steaming bowl of rice is served in front of him. It’s a half-Western, half-Korean lunch, with succulent American-style grilled meats, and kimchi and rice as side dishes.

“Thank you for the food!” Jihoon and Soonyoung say in unison, as they pick up their utensils; as Wonwoo raises an interested eyebrow, glancing at Seungcheol as if to say: _these two are really adorable friends, eh?_

“Do enjoy your lunch, gentlemen.” Teddy bows. “Oh, and Young Master Joshua has a surprise for you after lunch, Mr Jihoon.” The butler departs with a hint of mysterious air, leaving Jihoon worried for the rest of the meal.

* * *

Jihoon doesn’t join in the others’ banter over lunch, as Soonyoung and Wonwoo start bonding over lame Korean puns (which poor Chan doesn’t understand, being too Americanised), and Seungcheol plays along with them. Of course, with Soonyoung around, lunch is a lively affair, and Jihoon hopes that his best friend can stall the meal longer so that he doesn’t have to face whatever ‘surprises’ Joshua has prepared for him that Teddy had hinted about earlier.

Jihoon hates surprises; even pleasant ones – the suspense and anxious anticipation before surprises eats him inside out, being a natural worrier. Of course, Jihoon starts overanalysing the situation as he shovels rice into his mouth. He remembers just last night when he’d met Joshua Hong for the very first time, but the young gentleman had already offered to give him a guitar.

Jihoon doesn’t need a guitar – he doesn’t play anymore. But the familiar feel of the instrument in his lap, the tips of his calloused fingers touching the strings, and the distinctive scent of the wood transports him back to the music room at school, experimenting different styles of guitar play to produce a melody that would suit his lyrics.

Besides, what would he do with one, anyway? He’s here to experience new things, new people – not digging up his past. He’s pretty content with what he’s doing now, relearning how to swim from the hottest person this side of the West Coast; gallivanting around with his (sometimes unbearable) best friend, seeing the sights that he’d only seen on TV and the internet. Now that he’s out of his miserable cubicle in that stuffy accounting office in dreary Seoul, he knows that there’s a real world out here to be seen, things to be done. He’d never thought of learning how to surf, and thanks to Seungcheol, he would’ve gotten to ride a wave out on the Pacific Ocean had he known how to swim.

Maybe his fifteen-year-old self had been too ambitious to make it into the music industry. Anyone could compose a tune and write lyrics – you just needed the connections, talent and tenacity to make it big in showbiz. Jihoon doesn’t think he has any of that; and he’s somewhat thankful for his parents for pushing him into accounting and finance – a safer, stable job, even though he finds it repetitive and mundane.

Then what would happen after this dream vacation? Fly back to Seoul, back to his boring job and slave away with numbers for the rest of his life? The people he’d met throughout these few weeks – Jerry the surf bum and his assistant Thomas, nerdy Wonwoo, and clueless Chan; generous Joshua and Seungcheol, oh, especially Seungcheol – would he just simply forget them?

Well, life has to move on – but he’d rather live in the present and enjoy the moment right now instead of worrying about the future.

Jihoon glances at Seungcheol, who’s sitting on his right; lips curled up into a huge gummy grin as Soonyoung cracks an embarrassing joke.

Soonyoung stops laughing at his own pun, watching Jihoon look fondly at Seungcheol. “Alright! Lunch is over!” The vlogger announces out of nowhere. The plates on the table are practically licked clean - almost glistening like brand new if not for the slick of grease!

“Let’s help Teddy clear the table.” Seungcheol suggests, and the five of them each take a stack of plates to the kitchen.

Teddy, who’s sitting at the kitchen counter, fiddling with a tablet, immediately springs to his feet when he notices the five of them enter the kitchen. “Ah, gentlemen, you shouldn’t have! Sonia here will take care of it.” A maid in full uniform, on standby nearby, efficiently takes the plates from the boys.

“Mr Jihoon, that surprise Young Master Joshua mentioned.” Teddy taps on the tablet, then shows it to the five of them – Joshua’s connected via video call. The five of them crowd around the tiny tablet, trying to get a good view of the screen.

“Oh, you’re all here.” Joshua smiles at them.  His face fills up the tablet screen, and he’s wearing his white coat; stethoscope wound around his neck. “And do we have new friends?”

“Hey Josh! This is Wonwoo, and little Dino.” Soonyoung introduces them.

“Actually, it’s Chan.” The intern corrects, waving at Joshua.

“Hello, everyone. I hope Teddy’s treating you well.” Joshua smiles.

“Of course, young master.”

“Alright, I’m actually on-call at the hospital right now, but I guess this is kind of important too.” Joshua says, his smile never leaving his face. “Jihoon, about that guitar I promised you…”

“Joshua, it’s fine, I don’t need it.” Jihoon automatically turns red, stuttering over his words. It would’ve been easier if Joshua was here in person, so Jihoon could refuse profusely until Joshua gives up.

“I have too many guitars, Jihoon, and I think one of it deserves a better home with you.” Joshua’s voice is stern, but his expression is as gentle as always, and it makes Jihoon feel even guiltier to say no.

“He has like ten guitars, but he only ever plays one of it.” Seungcheol interjects from behind Jihoon.

“Teddy, take us to the music room, please.” Joshua commands.

“Of course, young master.” Teddy nods. Soonyoung takes the tablet from the butler, who leads them upstairs, through several corridors, before finally opening a door to reveal a polished, soundproof room. Another piano proudly stands in the corner, and seven guitars sit on display in a row against the farthest wall.

“Whoa, this is so cool!” Soonyoung gapes, wishing that he’d brought his camera to film. Wonwoo drifts over to one of the guitars, admiring its quality, as Seungcheol runs his fingers over the polished wood of the piano.

Jihoon stands frozen in the doorway, almost forgetting to breathe – his fifteen-year-old self is fanboying over the Hongs’ personal music studio, something that he’d always secretly wanted.

_“Maybe I’ll have my own music studio one day.” Teenage Jihoon daydreams, sitting at the piano in the music room. Nearby on the floor, a sweaty Soonyoung is wiped out, breathing heavily after dancing for forty minutes straight._

_“Can I have a dance studio next door?” Soonyoung grins._

_“And a ramen vending machine right outside so we can have ramen breaks.”_

_“Do they even have that?” Soonyoung wonders, looking at the ceiling._

_“Dunno, but doesn’t hurt to dream about it.” Jihoon slides his precious leather-bound notebook into his bag._

_“One day we’ll make it, Hoonie.”_

Jihoon snaps back to reality, shocked by the sudden memory. Seungcheol’s looking at him, raising his eyebrows in concern, while Soonyoung prances excitedly around the room with the tablet that’s connecting them to Joshua, asking questions about every little thing in the room that he can think of.

The blond takes a deep breath and steps inside. A nervous chill runs down his back, even though it’s hot outside. Seungcheol watches him with concerned eyes, a reassuring smile playing on his lips, making Jihoon smile shyly back, dropping his gaze to the carpeted floor.  

“Mum’s a part-time musician. She plays the cello and the piano in the local orchestra, part-time.” Joshua explains, his voice tinny through the connection. “Mostly she plays solos, but now she’s letting the rookies shine. She’s been playing music all her life, and she says that she’d never regretted choosing it.”

Jihoon suddenly doesn’t know what to do with his hands, so he crosses his arms across his chest.

_Never regretted choosing it…_

“The guitars are here, young master.” Teddy pipes up, standing like a statue near the instruments.

“Soonyoung, could you point me at Teddy? I can’t see.” Joshua says, blinking through the screen.

“It’s like having him in the room with us.” Soonyoung giggles, complying to Joshua’s request, facing the tablet in Teddy’s direction, who’s standing by the guitars. The old butler sweeps his hand in a grand gesture, as if to show Joshua’s guitars off proudly to everyone in the room.

“Ah, excellent job, Teddy. Thank you.” Joshua nods at his butler, who bows his head in response. “Jihoon, where are you? Go ahead, pick a guitar.”

Seungcheol gently takes Jihoon’s arm and leads the blond to the row of guitars. “Just accept it, Jihoonie. Joshua won’t take no for an answer. I know that he’s going to donate the rest to a school or somewhere, so don’t feel guilty or anything.”

Jihoon nods, his brain devoid of thoughts; shivering at the closeness and warmness of Seungcheol’s breath by his ear.

“Ah, I wish I could film this.” Soonyoung sighs, holding the tablet at chest level so that Joshua can have a clearer view through the video call. 

“Just film it with your eyes, and burn the memory into your mind.” Wonwoo says in a low voice, standing next to the vlogger.

Teddy starts explaning the qualities of each guitar to Jihoon as they inch down the row. Seungcheol stays by the blond’s side, listening intently, though he’s not too familiar with the musical lingo that Teddy is using. Oddly, it looks like Teddy is a salesman trying to sell Jihoon a guitar, and Seungcheol is there to accompany him.

“It’s like watching my own son getting his dreams come true.” Soonyoung chokes, trembling.

“Soonyoung, keep the tablet stable, please, I can’t see clearly…” Joshua’s voice pipes up through the tablet’s speakers.

Wonwoo glances at the vlogger in surprise. “Are…are you crying?”

“Dino, hold this.” Soonyoung quickly hands the tablet to the intern, who’s hovering awkwardly nearby. “I need a hug.” Without hesitation, Soonyoung wraps his arms around the unsuspecting Wonwoo, enveloping him into a tight embrace, sniffing loudly.

Chan goes over to Teddy’s side with the tablet, leaving the pair – knowing better not to third-wheel. Joshua mutters a quick thanks to the young intern since now he’s in on the action – he can add his own input in addition to Teddy’s, hoping that it’ll help Jihoon pick a guitar (it doesn’t, in fact, it puts more pressure on him).

Jihoon takes a while to pick a guitar, but with gentle encouragement and coaxing from both Joshua and Seungcheol, he finally chooses the plainest looking guitar, one with a walnut body – you wouldn’t think it would cost a thousand dollars. He almost returns it when Joshua casually mentions it with a smile, but it feels impolite to do so.

“Excellent choice, Mr Jihoon.” Teddy hands the instrument over to the blond; who receives it with shaking hands. Once his skin touches the smooth wood of the guitar’s body, he can feel a lump rising up his throat.

“Oh, that’s a really good pick, Jihoon. It’s got a good timbre. Take care of it.”

I will. Thank you so much.” Jihoon manages to croak out, marvelling at the guitar that he’s holding. It feels like a great burden has been lifted off his shoulders

“It’s really no big deal, Jihoon. I’ve got to go now, though - patients are waiting for me. Thanks a lot, Teddy. See you guys.” Joshua promptly ends the video call, and Dino returns the tablet back to Teddy.

“The patients have got to be patient waiting for Dr Hong.” Wonwoo mutters, loud enough for only Soonyoung to hear, who chokes back a laugh, with his face still buried in Wonwoo’s chest.

Seungcheol raises an eyebrow when he sees the two of them, but Wonwoo can only shrug. The lanky man feels awkward – he’s not accustomed to the human touch; and he can feel his shirt getting damp from Soonyoung’s tears. Wonwoo’s not good at comforting people, so he can only gently pat Soonyoung’s back, hoping that the vlogger would stop crying (or is he still laughing at Wonwoo’s little pun?)

Teddy helps Jihoon pack the guitar in its case. The blond lets out a sigh of relief, excited with his new guitar, though he masks it from his facial expression. “C’mon, let’s go hang out downstairs.”

“Just a moment.” Soonyoung says, his voice muffled by the fabric of Wonwoo’s shirt.

“Soonie. You’re an ugly crier.” Jihoon shoots, shouldering his new guitar case.

“I’m just feeling emotional.” Soonyoung dabs his eyes, slowly inching away from Wonwoo.  “Thanks for the cuddle, Won-won.” Jihoon can only roll his eyes, shaking his head before he leaves the room. Chan follows him, feeling completely out of place.

Wonwoo pats Soonyoung’s back, looking everywhere else but at the vlogger. “Uh. Yeah, sure. I guess.”

The five of them congregate back in the sitting room, where Wonwoo immediately makes himself comfortable in front of the couch, where his laptop is waiting. Soonyoung skips over to his video camera and flicks it on.

“HOONIE GOT A NEW GUITAR!” The vlogger screams excitedly, then focuses on Jihoon, who swats the camera away. Seungcheol shakes his head, smilling at Soonyoung’s excited energy.

Meanwhile, Chan picks a random book from the shelf, flipping through the pages to keep himself occupied. Wonwoo had coerced him to come with him that morning, citing that he needed company, but it looks like the bespectacled man is doing just fine, as he smiles while watching Soonyoung. Times like this, though Chan’s in a room with four other people, he feels alone – and weirdly, it also feels like he’s fifth-wheeling a double date. The young intern sighs inwardly. These people may be fun in their ways, but they’re much older and he barely knows them. He’s really got to make friends with people his age.

“Sooooooo. Are you gonna play?” Soonyoung grins at Jihoon.

“Yeah. I wanna play video games.” Jihoon sets the guitar down. His fingers are itching for the feel of the metal strings; the strum of a chord – but he’d rather do it in private, and definitely never in front of Soonyoung and his camera.    

“Mr Jihoon.” Teddy discreetly reappears – it’s like his butler superpower – and hands Jihoon the tablet.

It’s a text message from Joshua.

_Jihoon, I’m glad that you’ve agreed to take care of one of my guitars. It’s a really precious instrument to me, and I know you’ll be able to appreciate as much as I do, possibly even more._

_You look like you really love music; I see that you have the same passion that my mom has. It’s a quiet passion, and growing up with a parent who loves music, and who sowed the same love in myself too – I hope you feel the same way whenever you play that guitar._

_I’m going to be busy with medical school, and music’s taking up lesser of my time. But I’ll still love music, forever and always – it’s actually working for my paediatric postings, where I just turn up with my guitar and sing for the kids during group sessions. They love it. Maybe I’ll be a paediatrician._

_I’d like to hear you play one day, Jihoon. Till then, keep the music playing._

Thank you, Joshua, Jihoon thinks. No pressure, really. He doesn’t know exactly why Joshua’s being too nice for a person he’s just met, but it occurs to him that it’s just his personality – like Soonyoung, who’s excessively loud and talkative, Joshua’s excessively generous and supportive. Seungcheol…is a mix of both, but on a tolerable level, and Jihoon prefers it that way.

It’s also surprising that Joshua can type out a whole essay when he said he’ll be attending to patients – Jihoon sincerely hopes that none of them are in an emergency to be treated. For the young doctor to take some time out of his busy life for something as petty as giving a guitar, says a lot about his personality. But then again, it’s not just a guitar -  it’s a thousand dollar handcrafted Taylor acoustic guitar, one that Jihoon knows that he can’t afford after taxes and bills with his own salary, considering the exchange rate as well.

Joshua Hong is an incredibly kind human being, and Jihoon sincerely hopes that the patients that he treats will be cured and live a happy life and oh god his eyes are wet…

“Teddy, whose tablet is that?” Soonyoung asks out of curiosity, putting his camera down for once – knowing that the butler is uncomfortable at being filmed. Jihoon immediately turns away so that his best friend won’t notice and tell the whole world that he’s crying over a text message.

Teddy coughs uncomfortably. “It’s purely for business purposes, Mr Soonyoung.”

“Like video calling Joshua?”

“And the master and his missus as well. They’re abroad most of the time, so they video call to check on the house sometimes.” Teddy explains quietly. Soonyoung nods, then flounces over to Wonwoo, who’s waving him over from the couch.

Jihoon hands the device back to Teddy, subtly trying to blink his tears away. “Noted, Teddy. Thanks.”

The butler bows, and with a flourish, he leaves the room.

“Hey, Josh just sent me a threatening text message.” Seungcheol calls out, slouching in an armchair. “It says, ‘make sure Jihoonie plays the guitar, or else I won’t let you use the pool anymore.’” The surfer laughs, but stops when he sees Jihoon’s scandalised face. “He won’t go through with it, Jihoonie. He’s too gentle to actually kill people. That would go against that doctor’s oath he took…”

“It’ll be cool to hear you play, Jihoon.” Wonwoo says, adjusting his glasses, nodding his head reassuringly.

“TEAM WE WANT HOONIE TO PLAY THE GUITAR!” Soonyoung yells to his camera, then starts chanting. No one joins him, but all eyes are on Jihoon.

Pressure, building.

“Hey, guys. I’m a bit rusty though.” Jihoon admits in a quiet voice, fixing his gaze onto a spot on the wall behind Soonyoung’s head. He plays with the hem of his shirt, biting on his lower lip.

Soonyoung quickly picks up his best friend’s uncomfortable body language, and starts hoarding everyone outside through the French doors. “Everyone, let’s go check out the trampoline!”

No one moves, stunned by the vlogger’s sudden announcement.

“It’s hot outside.” Wonwoo complains from his lazy spot on the couch. Soonyoung makes a sad pouty face, and the bespectacled man relents easily, getting up to his feet even without a word from the vlogger. “Fine.” Anything, to see Soonyoung happy.

“Dino, let’s go.” Soonyoung pulls the clueless intern outside, and the book that Chan’s reading falls to the floor. “Cheol-hyung, you too. Hoonie, you stay inside, you’re fried already.”

“Yeah, that would be better.” Seungcheol nods. “You’ll be okay?”

Jihoon shrugs, and Seungcheol leaves with a fleeting gaze, following Wonwoo and Chan outside. Soonyoung draws the blinds over the windows, and the room turns darker from the lack of the bright Californian sunshine from outside.

“Precautionary steps.” Soonyoung grins knowingly, before closing the door behind him. Jihoon’s about to release a sigh of relief when his best friend pops his head back in. “If you didn’t get the hint, that’s your cue to start practicing. I’ll try to distract them as long as I can.”

Times like this, Jihoon’s grateful for Soonyoung, and he smiles at his best friend.

“Thanks, Soonie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- can you imagine soon singing that kids' song out loud  
> \- ksy is too cute  
> \- i love med student and philanthropist joshua hong  
> \- poor chan  
> \- hoon has a guitar now wow will he continue to make music? 
> 
> \- feedback kudos comments would be much appreciated and thank you for reading! ^^


	26. woo me, and call me soon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (finally, an update after a thousand years ><) 
> 
> chapter song: [20 - vocal team picnic live](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf42XluzXqI%20)  
> (the phrases in italics in the first part of the chapter are lyric translated from the song!)

The next couple of days fall into an easy, comfortable rhythm. Seungcheol won’t let Jihoon out into the sun since his skin is dry and crackly now, and it hurts a little too. Sunburns suck. Seungcheol’s given him a bottle of aloe vera lotion to soothe the burns, which Jihoon slathers onto his skin about every five seconds. And even though it’s hot, Jihoon returns to his sweater paws just for extra protection from the bright sun.

Soonyoung’s been hanging out with Wonwoo, since the latter’s now free from work; ‘editing’ videos. The unlikely pair colonise the living room; Soonyoung belting out ballads sung by Korean superstar Lee Dokyeom, eating junk food and hogging the TV to watch cartoons (Soonyoung’s pick) or documentaries (when Wonwoo insists).

He’d just dropped two vlogs at once, the first few of a series aptly titled ‘Soonie and Hoonie’s LA Adventure’, just like how Soonyoung’s always screamed it around when walking around Los Angeles. Netizens love the vibrant energy of the two friends exploring Los Angeles; and they’d been anticipating Soonyoung’s travel vlog since he’d announced it on his site months ago.

And apparently, Jihoon has fans too.

Soonyoung mentions it to him one day during breakfast, making Jihoon read the comments from the videos out loud. Most of them say how adorably cute Jihoon is, and his ears flare red when he sees them. Of course, Soonyoung has to pinch his cheeks, babying him, as always; before he skips off to the living room, waiting for Wonwoo to turn up so that they can ‘edit’ more footage together.

So Jihoon spends his peaceful days sitting in the shade on back porch overlooking the beach, armed with his new guitar and a constant bottle of Coke; not questioning whatever Soonyoung and Wonwoo are actually doing inside. He’s still intrigued that Wonwoo, of all people, is warming up to his best friend – but then again, with Soonyoung’s vibrant personality, who won’t?

(Sometimes he hears them bickering over something, followed by Soonyoung’s dolphin laugh. Certainly, they’re getting along well.)

_It’s still a boring morning -_

Today, Seungcheol’s out on the ocean surfing. As the soft ocean breeze blows gently across the beach, Jihoon can glimpse the surfer out in the distance, dwarfed by the huge ocean waves; adding fancy little tricks as he bravely tackles the waves on his trusty funboard.

Jihoon’s been playing the same chord progression for a while now: a G chord, then a D major, followed by a minor chord before rounding up with a C chord. Basic, and simple; and he strums it almost mindlessly as his eyes trails Seungcheol’s silhouette as the surfer rides through a tunnel of water.

A new tune pops up in his head; accompanied by fragments of lyrics.

_The distance between me and you has no progress –_

As if the beach was separating them apart in their own little worlds: Jihoon with his music, and Seungcheol with surfing. Jihoon begins overthinking, accompanied by those four chords that his fingers are strumming, as if on loop.

Were they friends now? Certainly, to some degree, they should be.

They’d been hanging out almost every day for the past two weeks – but despite the time they’d spent together, Jihoon realises that he doesn’t know Seungcheol as a person very well.

It’s like the both of them have been skirting around the idea of getting to know each other; only scraping little tidbits of information from each other each time they meet. Bit by bit, slowly building – nothing like those Clichéd Romantic Movies where people fall in love within three days.

Usually Jihoon would think that it’s a trivial fact, but he’d really like to know what Seungcheol’s favourite colour is. At least, he knows that the surfer loves meat, thanks to their daily dinners together; one of the little things that they have in common. Hmm, he’s a gamer, too, as Jihoon remembers the FPS game Seungcheol played that one time he stayed over at the surfer’s, nursing a hangover.  

Jihoon watches Seungcheol wade back to the shore with his surfboard tucked under his muscular arm; smiling to himself, satisfied with the day’s surf.

It seems like a different world, surfing. It’s like a lifetime away, those days when Seungcheol would teach him surfing techniques on the sand. And that one venture into the ocean – albeit ankle-deep; followed by that one episode: what should’ve been a bitter recollection has been overshadowed by the fact that Seungcheol saved his life.

Another G chord; and Jihoon’s insides warms at the memory.

_Far away, so far away –_

Jihoon scoffs at the idea of himself surfing; something he’d never ever thought to try before he came to sunny California. He’s not sure whether he’d venture into the ocean again soon; but watching Seungcheol tackle the waves coolly makes him sorta kinda wanna surf the waves like that too, but surely he’d need to ace swimming before he can face the ocean.

Maybe he’d changed from being the stressed-out Jihoon who’d been doing nothing but work, work, work, work and work. Life never goes the way you plan it to – it’s always incredibly unpredictable, so you’ve got to go with the flow. He touches his chlorine-stained blond hair, almost missing his original dark black locks he’d been sporting for his entire life.

_I didn’t know it’d be like this._

Jihoon reaches for his pen, and scribbles those random phrases down in his precious leather notebook, just in case he needs them later.

“Hey.” Seungcheol calls out, appearing from the beachside. The surfer jogs up the steps to the porch, and smiles at Jihoon, who automatically cracks a smile back. Seungcheol’s hair is still damp from the seawater. He’d been surfing shirtless earlier, but at least now he’d thrown on a muscle tee, with a towel looped around his neck.

Jihoon puts his guitar aside, and closes the notebook that’s lying on the table in front of him.

“How’s your day?” The surfer comfortably lies down on the hammock nearby, stretching out languidly. Jihoon reaches out to swing the hammock gently, and Seungcheol relaxes.

“Nothing much. Just experimenting with chords.” He’d been familiarising himself with the instrument once more, after a few years’ hiatus – and it had been easy to pick up once more, his musical senses are surprisingly innate, finding the chords like a familiar old friend, welcoming him back to the world he once knew inside out.

Music notes, squiggly little uncomprehensible things on staves – turning into beautiful melodies if you played the instrument correctly. Jihoon’s always loved that magic, and finding that he’d never lost his musical touch calms him down – it feels like home.

Probably the same home Seungcheol finds in his surfing board and the ocean.

“How were the waves?” Jihoon leans back, still rocking Seungcheol’s hammock.

“Surf was amazing. It’s getting hotter, though.”

“Well, it’s almost noon.”

Seungcheol hums, resting his eyes. “Maybe I’ll catch the late surf with Jerry later. I left my surfboard with him.”

No one says anything for the next few minutes, simply enjoying each other’s company in the shade. The sun blazes down, warming the golden sand on the beach, and only the peaceful sound of waves crashing against the shore fills the air.

“How’s your skin?”

Jihoon subconsciously tugs onto his sleeves. “It’s getting better, I guess.”

“Next time, when we go swimming, I can help you put on sunscreen.”

An image of Seungcheol rubbing sunscreen onto his back pops up in his mind. The surfer’s rough hands, gently massaging the lotion onto his skin; his fingers dangerously teasing at the waistband of his swimming trunks. Jihoon likes the idea; and his throat goes dry simply thinking about it, so he takes a quick swig of his Coke, letting the fizzy drink quench his thirst.

Seungcheol watches Jihoon with a tiny smile, and his gaze flicks towards Jihoon’s guitar propped up against the chair. “I’ve always wanted to learn guitar.” He says, propping an arm behind his head, grinning.

“I could teach you.” Jihoon pipes up instantaneously, and Seungcheol angles his head to meet the blond’s eager eyes.

“Would you?”

“Hey, you taught me how to surf and how to swim. It’s the least that I can do.” Jihoon hands his guitar over to Seungcheol, who opts for a seat right beside Jihoon; their knees knocking against each other. The surfer gingerly cradles the instrument in his lap, unsure of what to do.

“Like, how do you make the different sounds?” Seungcheol mimics fingerstyle guitar; then strums guitar strings, and an open chord rings out into the salty ocean air. “Josh played all the time, and I’d watch him, but I can never understand how…this happens.” 

Jihoon knows that he’s not a natural teacher like Seungcheol is, so he has no idea where to start. The chord progression he’d been experimenting on earlier is still at the back of his mind, and it had been easy, simple chords; so he decides to teach those four chords to Seungcheol. “Alright, so first put your fingers on the fret, like you’re ready to play.”

Seungcheol complies; wrapping his left hand around the neck of the guitar.

“Okay, so now, put two fingers on the third fret for the first and last string; and your index finger on the second fret for the second string.” Jihoon says, hoping that his words make sense.

Seungcheol looks at the frets, then looks back at Jihoon with anticipating eyes, barely understanding what the younger had said.

Jihoon laughs nervously – he’s never taught anyone how to play an instrument before. Why is it so hard to describe things that you’re familiar with in words? He can practically see the chord, exactly how he’d explained it to Seungcheol earlier.

“Teacher, please show me, I didn’t understand.” Seungcheol pouts, his eyes full-on puppy-dog mode.

Jihoon wants to slap his face with a piece of lettuce – Seungcheol is already ridiculously hot, so it’s unfair for him to be ridiculously cute too!

_Don’t try to brush past it like it’s nothing -_

Jihoon exhales heavily, then moves closer to the elder, tentatively reaching out for Seungcheol’s hand, guiding his fingers to the correct frets. “Now strum.”

A G chord – albeit slightly distorted –  springs from the guitar. Seungcheol glances at the blond with wide, excited eyes; surprised at his little achievement.

“That’s a G chord. Try remembering the position.” Jihoon says. “Press the strings down harder so it sounds better.”

“But they hurt my fingers.” Seungcheol waves his left hand into Jihoon’s face – the tips of his fingers are red, indented by the thin strings of the guitar.

Jihoon resists the urge to kiss Seungcheol’s fingers one by one so that the pain goes away; but he quickly sits on his hands, cringing internally at his own sappiness. Now he wants to slap _himself_ with a piece of lettuce!

Cheesy thoughts, begone.

“You’ll get used to it.” Jihoon manages a smile instead. “Play it again?”

Seungcheol does, sticking his tongue out comically as he searches for the correct frets. The surfer plays the same chord a few more times, the sounds more solid than the first time.

“You’re doing good.” Jihoon says, his features softening.

“Well, I have a good teacher.” Seungcheol puffs his chest out proudly.  He tries it a few more times, getting more confidence from Jihoon’s reassuring smile.

“Teach me another chord.” Seungcheol begs, scooting closer to Jihoon’s right side; so that the guitar’s neck is right in front of him – Jihoon can easily reach the frets from this position. He can feel the surfer’s body heat pressed up against his side. The surfer smells like the sea, and his usual musk – it takes all of Jihoon’s strength not to give into his new favourite scent in the whole wide world.

“Next chord is D.”

“Gimme the D.” Seungcheol laughs, barely thinking about the innuendo hidden in his statement, which makes Jihoon’s cheeks turn red.

The blond fumbles with the chord, his fingers trembling as his finds it on the frets; and suddenly Seungcheol strums several times.

“Hey, we make a good team like this. You can play the chords, while I can strum!”

Jihoon lets out a cackle of laughter, clapping his hands as he leans backward laughing at Seungcheol’s ridiculous idea. Two people playing one guitar – certainly an unconventional method!

“You said you wanted to learn!” Jihoon says, when he collects himself, conscious that Seungcheol is watching him.

The surfer pouts, but tries out the chords anyway, placing his fingers on the wrong frets. The guitar produces an odd sound, which Seungcheol cringes at.  

Jihoon peers over the awkwardly acute angle between the guitar frets and himself. He corrects Seungcheol’s fingers onto the correct position, then turns to face the surfer. He’s surprised when he finds himself almost nose-to-nose with Seungcheol, who’s leaning close to see the correct chord. No one moves, and Jihoon takes his time to inspect Seungcheol’s lips; then his gaze flicks over to Seungcheol’s chocolate eyes, instantly absorbed into its depths.

There’s anticipation in the air, and Jihoon holds his breath, his own lips parting slightly – this is the closest he’s been with Seungcheol; now that he’s sober and conscious. The surfer peeks at him from under his impossibly long eyelashes, almost shyly, and a little smile curves across his plump lips.

_When you look at me, you’re so beautiful._

“WE’RE BACK!” Soonyoung shouts from inside the house, accompanied by a lot of bumping noises as the vlogger practically stamps through the house – always, like a hurricane.

Jihoon didn’t even notice that his best friend left, but his voice makes him leap apart from Seungcheol. It’s like a reflex – he doesn’t want to be caught being all intimate with Seungcheol especially by his best friend, who’d just scream it out for the world to know!

Seungcheol puts Jihoon’s guitar aside just before Soonyoung pops his head out through the back door.

“I brought back food. You love me now.” Soonyoung grins, his eyes crinkling.

Seungcheol playfully rushes after the vlogger indoors and drags him into a tight backhug. “I wub you, Soonyoung-ie!”

Wonwoo, who’s unpacking the takeaway boxes on the kitchen counter, throws a quick glance at the two guys starting a tickle fight in the doorway. Jihoon manages to slip in, raising an eyebrow at Wonwoo in acknowledgment, who nods back at him briefly before returning his focus onto the tickle fight in the middle of the kitchen.

Soonyoung squeals with laughter, trying to avoid Seungcheol from tickling his ribs – that’s where he’s the most sensitive. “Go tickle Hoonie, he’s more ticklish than me!” The vlogger wheezes, as Seungcheol relentlessly attacks him.

Jihoon’s taken a seat next to Wonwoo at the kitchen island, attracted to the Thai food; thinking about nothing else.

“I didn’t know Soon and Seungcheol were close.” Wonwoo remarks, grabbing a pair of chopsticks; and Jihoon notices a drip of jealousy in his tone.

“Neither did I. Thanks for the food.” Jihoon digs in, ignoring the two child-men having a play-fight. Wonwoo watches them with an amused look, adjusting his glasses.

Soonyoung is screeching with laughter on the floor as Seungcheol pins him down to the floor, tickling him with all his might. Jihoon casually watches the spectacle as he chews his food; while Wonwoo looks like he’s ready to intervene.

Kwon Soonyoung, tickled to death. Jihoon’s already drafting the eulogy in his head.

“Cheol-hyung, I’m going to pe-eeeee.” Soonyoung giggles, trying to roll away from the older man. Seungcheol momentarily stops, wondering if Soonyoung was telling the truth, but continues tickling the vlogger anyway.

“Seungcheol, come here and eat.” Jihoon commands between mouthfuls of pad thai noodles.

“Coming!” Seungcheol bounds over to the blond’s side, immediately abandoning Soonyoung on the floor.

“You’re not gonna invite me to eat with you?” Soonyoung’s breathless; his face red.

Jihoon gives a pointed look towards Wonwoo, who’s seemingly frozen in front of his food. The blond pokes him with an unused chopstick, nodding over to an unceremoniously beached Soonyoung on sitting on the floor, trying to signal for Wonwoo to do something before Soonyoung starts throwing a tantrum.

“Sit here, Soon. Eat with us.” Wonwoo says, in the softest tone Jihoon has ever heard from him.

Soonyoung slots himself on a chair next to Wonwoo, pretending to be upset with his best friend. Jihoon doesn’t notice anyway, since he’s busy eating his food while listening to Seungcheol’s story of going on a food tour along the West Coast with Joshua during their college days.

Wonwoo silently piles noodles onto a plate for Soonyoung, and the vlogger smiles brightly back at him in appreciation. Though it’s just takeout food at home, Soonyoung feels like he’s on a double date.

At least, he feels like he’s not third wheeling anymore.

* * *

Soonyoung enters the house from the back door, after delivering a gallon of Coke for Jihoon. He giggles to himself as he looks at his phone – he’d managed to make Jihoon and Seungcheol pose for a photo (or ten) with the guitar. It’s cute, he thinks, for Jihoon to teach Seungcheol how to play.

Back then, twelve-year-old Soonyoung had expressed interest in playing the piano when he saw his best friend – a musical prodigy – play the instrument, his little fingers gracefully flying over the keys, producing incredible music. But young Jihoon had downright refused. He shared his music with the world, but never imparted his knowledge, due to his shyness. His band juniors sometimes got little tips during his tenure as band leader, but despite his musical expertise, he always thought that he was never good enough to teach people, especially beginners like Soonyoung.

So for Jihoon to teach Seungcheol the guitar – notably after his musical hiatus – was a miracle to Soonyoung. His best friend is definitely changing for the better: falling in love with what he once loved, and falling in love with something – someone - new.

(Soonyoung’s pretty sure about the latter. Maybe it’s the southern Californian heat, but Jihoon’s been blushing too much around Seungcheol.)

It’s right after lunch, and all Soonyoung wants to do is cuddle up and take a nap. He skips over to the living room, where Wonwoo’s editing yet another video for him.

“Won-won, look at Hoonie and Cheol-hyung! Aren’t they cute?” Soonyoung practically ambushes Wonwoo from behind, like he always does, showing him the photo he’d just taken just moments earlier.

The bespectacled man calmly takes the phone from Soonyoung, and scrutinizes the picture. Seungcheol looks elated, all smiles and gums and dimples, as he presses close to Jihoon’s side, an arm casually slung over Jihoon’s shoulder. Meanwhile, Jihoon’s expression is amused, and possibly embarrassed, judging from the blush on his neck and the tips of his ears. The picture-perfect couple, as always, cradling the guitar like it’s their firstborn – Wonwoo’s intrigued how Jihoon slots perfectly in Seungcheol’s arms.

“That’s nice.” Wonwoo pronounces, handing the device back to its rightful owner.

“Are you making another video?” Soonyoung asks, still looking at his phone with a cheeky grin on his face.

Wonwoo hums in response, immersed in his work.  

“Can I help?” Soonyoung finally puts his phone aside, turning his attention towards Wonwoo.

Wonwoo laughs dryly. “It’s your project; I can’t say no.”

Soonyoung instantly glues himself to Wonwoo’s side, inspecting the complicated editing software on the screen. He has no idea what all the icons mean, but there’s a still of the familiar beach outside in the editing screen. “Which part is this?”

“Part 8.” Wonwoo sips his juice calmly.

Soonyoung whips his head too fast to face the bespectacled guy. “Yesterday you told me that you were working on the sixth one?”

What Wonwoo didn’t tell him was that he’d worked on the sixth video overnight, then started on the next one almost immediately. He’d thrown himself into this little project, despite not being paid – for him, Soonyoung’s company is simply enough. Oddly, he feels connected to the vlogger, picking up his little habits from the camera; and oh, that time he went to Bobby G’s class – Wonwoo had butterflies when he saw Soonyoung dancing fluidly, his body moving in perfect sync to the music, with a sensual air about him as he freestyled his way confidently through the dance class. Bobby G himself praised Soonyoung for his unique style, which Wonwoo included in the last part of the video.

Soonyoung’s quite an impressive dancer; his moves smooth and symmetrical - Wonwoo could’ve watched the raw footage all night. Surprisingly, he’s also making incredible progress with the video cuts; up to the point where Soonyoung needs to film more content!

(Okay, so maybe Wonwoo has a little crush on Soonyoung. But how could you not love the vlogger: he’s talented and funny and lame and kinda cute with his 10:10 eyesmile and squishy cheeks and -)

“So you made three more videos?”

“Yes.”

Soonyoung’s mouth is agape in surprise; amazed at Wonwoo’s pace of work. When they hang out together in the living room, Soonyoung’s always distracting Wonwoo with random songs and movies that there never seemed to be any progress in the project when they spent time together. The vlogger feels slightly guilty for throwing his work at Wonwoo; who deserves nothing but the best; so Soonyoung vows to buy him the best steak available in Los Angeles soon. Then maybe they could go for ice-cream, and Soonyoung would buy him the most luxorious and expensive cone.

But what if Wonwoo doesn’t like ice-cream? That would be impossible, since everyone loves ice-cream. Hopefully Wonwoo would be more adventurous with ice-cream flavours, unlike Jihoon. Then they could sample every flavour in the ice-cream parlour, and there’d be some ice-cream on Wonwoo’s nose, so Soonyoung would lean forward and…

“Do you want to watch them now?” Wonwoo asks gently in his deep baritone; pulling Soonyoung out from his reverie.

The vlogger laughs nervously, embarrassed, his ears quickly turning red. “Nah. Let’s just do another one, since you’ve got your software thingy open.” Soonyoung rests his chin on Wonwoo’s shoulder, circling his arms around Wonwoo’s skinny body.  

Wonwoo nods and adjusts his glasses; trying not to squirm in Soonyoung’s embrace. “I just have a concern. This footage has, well, y’know… the thing that happened to Jihoon…”

“Edit it out then.” Soonyoung says in a low voice, his hot breath tickling into Wonwoo’s ear.

Wonwoo swallows the lump in his throat. “I think Jihoon would appreciate that too.” He gets to work immediately, wriggling out of Soonyoung’s embrace; fast forwarding and cutting out the appropriate scenes expertly on his laptop.

“Wait!” Soonyoung exclaims suddenly, surprising Wonwoo out of his skin. The vlogger had leaned back quietly, watching Wonwoo work his movie magic. “Can I keep the part where Cheol-hyung kisses Hoonie?”

Wonwoo’s starting to think that Soonyoung’s interest in Jihoon and Seungcheol’s blooming relationship is a little excessive; but the pair were undeniably adorable, so he let it slide.

“Soon, they weren’t kissing. It was CPR.” Wonwoo says, glancing at the excited vlogger.

Soonyoung leans forward to reach for the mouse, naturally resting his hand over Wonwoo’s. He blushes as Soonyoung manoeuvres the cursor over the screen, unsure whether to remove his hand from the mouse and let Soonyoung take charge; but he likes how Soonyoung’s hand is warm over his own bony fingers.

“See? It looks like a scene from a movie!” The vlogger exclaims triumphantly, gesturing to the screen, once he finds the exact moment.

Wonwoo doesn’t really remember filming that day; he’d held the camera static at chest level, as he watched the episode unfolding before his eyes. Onscreen, Seungcheol’s bent over an unconscious Jihoon lying on the sand, his back to the camera. Their lips interlocked, as the surfer breathes air into Jihoon’s lungs, trying to revive him.  

Which Soonyoung starts gushing about, focusing on the (somewhat) romantic moment. Wonwoo gapes at the still on the screen, which is almost artistic, painting the memory as surreal.

Hmm, he does have a good angle. Another reason why he’s chasing his dream of being a cinematographer – his professor at film school had commended him for his tastefully perfect angles for his film projects. Life didn’t pan out the way he wanted to, so he ended up editing videos here and there; and thanks to a lucky break, he’d just wrapped up a huge Hollywood project, with several more offers knocking on his door.

Maybe he could add this to his resume?  He could see it: Jeon Wonwoo, cinematographer and editor for Soonie and Hoonie’s LA adventure. Not the biggest project in the world (but certainly one of the cutest) but it’s a stepping stone for another step up the career ladder. He’s chasing after that job in New York as a cinematographer that he really wants in the first place; and he’d do anything to boost up his reputation in the movie business.

“I think that’s Hoonie’s first kiss.” Soonyoung’s saying. “Can’t remember.”

Wonwoo lets the excited vlogger take charge as he grabs the mouse again, replaying the footage in slow motion.

“Edit it until right here, just when Hoonie’s waking up.”

Wonwoo sighs, but gets to work anyway – oh, the things he’d do for Soonyoung. It’s simple, anyway – a few clicks and it’s done. He continues editing the footage, compiling them for the final cut of the video.  

“Do you want a cookie?” Soonyoung asks out of nowhere, clearly with nothing else to do.

“No thanks.”

“Have some water.” Soonyoung pops a straw into Wonwoo’s mouth as he works, holding the bottle of water for him. Wonwoo takes a sip – the water quenches his dry throat. He mutters a quick thank you, then turns back to his laptop.

Wonwoo pushes all of his focus onto his work, trying to ignore Soonyoung, who’s oddly quiet today. He feels a weight on shoulder, but doesn’t turn to look – the vlogger’s probably leaning against his shoulder, his mochi cheeks squished against Wonwoo’s bony shoulder on one side.

The first time Soonyoung did it a couple of nights ago, Wonwoo barely dared to breathe, but now the feeling of Soonyoung’s head leaning against his shoulder is familiar; feeling the vlogger’s rhythmic breathing and the echo-ey sound of his voice vibrating through Wonwoo’s body when he spoke, became something that Wonwoo liked, and almost craved. He’d never been one for skinship and intimacy, but Soonyoung changed all that.

Time flies, and Wonwoo doesn’t realise that it’s been an hour until he finished editing and compiling the footage into one video. Another achievement, and he’s about to proudly announce it to Soonyoung -  

Only that Soonyoung’s fast asleep against his shoulder, and Wonwoo angles his head to look at him. He finds his nose brushing against Soonyoung’s soft dark hair, and his heart melts. He doesn’t want to wake Soonyoung up, and he subconsciously wraps an arm around the sleeping man; leaning his head against the vlogger’s, and rests his eyes.

If only time could stop…

There’s a wet sensation on his sleeve, and Wonwoo jerks away from Soonyoung instinctively. The sudden movement wakes the vlogger up, throwing him unceremoniously across the floor.

“Uh, that was a good nap.” Soonyoung wipes his chin, as Wonwoo inspects the suspicious-looking stain on his sleeve with a tiny frown between his brows. The vlogger takes a moment to register his bearings, thanks to the rude awakening.  

“Sorry, I was drooling.” Soonyoung stares sleepily at the drool mark he’d made on Wonwoo’s sleeve. He tries to pat it away, but his saliva had been absorbed by the cotton fibres of Wonwoo’s shirt. “Sometimes I drool if I sleep with my mouth open. Sorry, Won-won.” He makes a little sad face, and Wonwoo’s hard expression softens – he finds it hard to stay mad at Soonyoung.

The bespectacled man easily shrugs it off. “It’s fine.”

“Should I clean it for you? I can ask Hoonie to start the washing machine.” The vlogger starts tugging at Wonwoo’s shirt, trying to get if off.

 _What would I wear if you washed my shirt?_ Wonwoo thinks, wondering about Soonyoung’s intentions. “It’s okay, Soon. Look, I finished another video.”

“You’re a miracle, Won-won.” Soonyoung smiles fondly at Wonwoo, still half-asleep, barely glancing at the laptop screen.

Wonwoo’s heart skips a beat, and his ears turn red at the remark.

“You should take a break.” The vlogger says, stifling a yawn.

Wonwoo checks his watch. It’s already half an hour past three, so there’s time to hang out with Soonyoung before he leaves for Los Angeles. He’s got to go in to work first thing tomorrow morning, though, for a final board meeting on his current project. The movie he’d been working on for the past year debuts next week, and he has two tickets to the premiere. Initially, Wonwoo had been thinking of going alone for the sake of appearances, but now he’s considering bringing someone along as his plus one; and he glances over to Soonyoung…

The person in question clumsily crawls over to the Bluetooth speakers and connects his phone, playing a quirky jazz tune, one of Glenn Miller’s masterpieces, shaking his backside in time to the beat as the song plays.

Exactly why it had to be this oddball, he’s not sure, but he’s fairly certain that he’s going to ask Soonyoung.

Wonwoo adjusts his glasses, trying to figure out a suitable time to ask Soonyoung to join him at the movie premiere. He knows that the vlogger would love the whole setting, since it’ll be so glamorously Hollywood, down the red carpet and ignoring paparazzi who won’t bother to snap their photos since they’re nobodies. But most importantly, Wonwoo wants to know Soonyoung’s opinion on the movie that he’d painstakingly worked on for the past year. And maybe he’d get to spend more time with the stupidly adorable vlogger, letting him glimpse into his life.

His mobile phone suddenly rings, and Wonwoo’s dragged back to the present.

As Wonwoo takes the call, Soonyoung tinkers with Wonwoo’s laptop, rewatching the latest video on mute. Of course, he’d done a brilliant job, the highlights of Jihoon’s last surf lesson fit into ten minutes. Soonyoung would’ve liked to show every little bit of footage he’d filmed to his followers, but it would’ve been too much. He’s not too keen on rewatching them himself, so this mini vlog series would suffice – everyone’s giving him nice reviews over his adventures, and some people are complimenting the brilliant editing and effects; Soonyoung owes that to no one else but Wonwoo.

Soonyoung turns to Wonwoo once the latter concludes his phone call, ready to sing praises; then invite him out for a well-earned dinner.

Wonwoo barely meets Soonyoung’s excited eyes. “I’ve got to get to work now.” The flexibility of his work hours had been convenient before he met Soonyoung; now he hated how Soonyoung’s face dropped when he needed to leave.

“I thought you were done with the movie?” Soonyoung can’t hide the disappointment from his voice. There goes his plans…

Wonwoo sighs. “It’s an emergency. And the premiere’s scheduled for next weekend.” He starts packing up his belongings. “Sorry, Soon.”

“I’ll buy you dinner when you get back.” Soonyoung mumbles, knowing that Wonwoo would spend at least two days in the big city for work. Wonwoo had told him how elated he’d been at the completion of the project he’d been working on; and a last-minute emergency situation isn’t a good thing, especially in fast-paced Hollywood, where everything needs to be perfect.

Wonwoo starts calculating the journey back to the big city, and wonders how long he’d have to stay to fix whatever problem the post-production team is having. The last time he checked (and triple-checked), everything had been perfect; but something had probably gone wrong somewhere in between. At least it was detected before the movie release date – perfectionist Wonwoo wouldn’t have let it go if the whole world had seen the error, be it huge or simply a minute detail.

He’d better ask Soonyoung to the premiere now – who knows when he’ll get a chance. His palms are suddenly clammy, and he quickly counts to ten to summon up his courage; but Soonyoung’s looking away, muting the speakers, so he loses his confidence.

As he slowly leaves the living room, he silently counts another ten beats; Soonyoung following him out to the hallway.

Now or never.

“Hey, Soonyoung?”

Soonyoung’s looking at the floor, sulking over Wonwoo’s departure, but still wanting to see him off at the front door.

The bespectacled man clears his throat, clutching the straps of his backpack. “If everything goes well, do you wanna come with me to the movie premiere next week?” He asks in a nervous rush.

Soonyoung’s face lights up instantly, brighter than the sun. “Can I film?”

Wonwoo doesn’t know the answer to that, but nods anyway. “Will you come?”

“I’m so excited!” Soonyoung reaches out for Wonwoo’s hand in excitement, squeezing it tightly.

Wonwoo smiles, then silently counts up to five beats before he retracts his hand from Soonyoung’s. “I’ve got to go.”

“Right.”

“I’ll text you soon.”

“Drive safe.”

“Take care.”

“You too.”

“Good luck with the movie!”

“You too, with your vlog.”

Jihoon’s standing in the hallway, watching the never-ending exchange between Soonyoung and Wonwoo, who hadn’t moved an inch despite their parting remarks. “Later, Hoodie Guy.”

Wonwoo leaves with a salute for Jihoon, and a fleeting gaze towards Soonyoung. He’s gone in a millisecond.

“You didn’t have to chase him away like that, Hoonie.” Soonyoung pouts at his best friend, crossing his arms over his chest. “What if I did the same thing to Cheol-hyung?”

“I’ll tell him to tickle you to death.” Jihoon smirks, knowing his best friend’s weakness.

“Who do I need to tickle to death?” Seungcheol calls out as he enters, holding Jihoon’s guitar; while Soonyoung’s already screaming, halfway up the stairs.

Jihoon stifles his laughter and wanders into the empty living room, where Soonyoung’s camera equipment is strewn all over the place. He walks over to the piano and lifts the lid, revealing the black and white keys underneath; inviting as always. He could easily sit down and play, his suddenly fingers itching to perform his own songs.

Maybe Seungcheol would like to listen to it, Jihoon thinks as he glances at the surfer; who’s playfully threatening Soonyoung with tickle attacks up the stairs.

_Simple. Just sit down and play._

Jihoon hesitates for a split second, second-guessing his sudden burst of confidence. He presses the highest key on the piano, producing a little plink; then he slides his hand down the keys in a smooth motion, glissando; attracting Seungcheol’s attention at once. He slowly sits the piano bench – a familiar feeling, right at home in front of the keys.

Without a word, Seungcheol sets the guitar aside, and takes his place right next to Jihoon on the piano bench that can barely fit the both of them.

“I wanna play you something.” Jihoon declares quietly, smiling shyly at Seungcheol.

The surfer nods in encouragement, in anticipation; as Jihoon reaches out for the chords, his fingers hovering over the keys.  

Jihoon exhales heavily, dropping his hands back into his lap. “I’ve never actually played this song for anyone…”

“Then I’m honoured.” Seungcheol’s words are reassuring, comforting; telling him that there’s at least one person in the world who wants to listen to his music.

“…I wrote it when I was younger.” Jihoon places his hands over the keys, then starts to play the first few measures of the song; softly at first, his voice shaking slightly.

Seungcheol immediately knows that it was that song from the tinny recording Soonyoung had let him listen to. The song Seungcheol had fallen in love with; its lyrics hitting home.

_I just want it simple…_

Seungcheol finds himself entranced, by the music, by Jihoon himself. Jihoon’s sweet tones, almost straining to reach the high notes as he sings his heart out, gaining confidence as he drowns himself in the music. The composition itself, though simple, feels appropriate.

The way Jihoon closes his eyes as he sings passionately; the words of his fifteen-year-old self engraved into a song, as if he still believes in them. How his fingers dance gracefully over the ivory keys of the piano, weaving the notes into a beautiful melody. How vulnerable he looks, as he bares his soul into his own music.

It had probably taken Jihoon a lot of courage to present himself this way in front of Seungcheol; and the surfer appreciates the thought. He’d never expected Jihoon to perform this song for him, not even in his wildest dreams – and he watches the small man sing with a fond expression on his face: _Lee Jihoon, you’re my happiness._

Jihoon concludes the song with a soft chord, then drops his shaking hands into his lap, overwhelmed. He feels naked, laying his heart out through song to Seungcheol – he’d never done it for anyone else, ever.

“I love it.” Seungcheol whispers, pulling a trembling Jihoon into half-hug; holding him close.

_I love you._


	27. let nature take its course

“Good morning, world!” Soonyoung whispers loudly into his camera. “Soonyoung here. Hoonie’s still asleep. Look.” He focuses the camera onto a sleeping Jihoon, who’s cuddling his guitar; his leather notebook by his side, opened up to a page that’s been freshly scribbled on.

“I think he was writing songs last night.” Soonyoung chirps happily, turning the camera back onto himself. “I was gonna drag him down for the beach for a morning walk – hang on, let me check something.” Holding the camera away, Soonyoung pulls one of Jihoon’s long sleeves back, inspecting the skin covered underneath it. Jihoon’s sunburn had subsided, thanks to the aloe vera lotion Seungcheol had given to him.

“He’s still sleeping, so I’ll just go alone!” Soonyoung ruffles Jihoon’s hair, and even in his sleep, the younger knits his brows into a tiny frown.

The vlogger leaves the house through the back door, stepping onto the beach. He lets his toes sink into the golden sand, inhaling deeply, enjoying the refreshing morning breeze by the seaside. Walking towards the general direction of Jerry’s surf shop, he tries to get as close as possible to the water without getting himself wet. For once, he lets nature speak, the calming sound of the waves washing up against the shore; the caw of seagulls above looking for a bite to eat.

Though he’s a people person, Soonyoung loves these rare moments alone, when he connects with nature, surrounded by it. He’s amazed by how complex the world is: how land meets water; the vast ocean disappearing by the horizon, where it seems to be connected to the blue, blue sky, but in fact it extends to the other side of the world, meeting another land that has a different culture, a different language - all the things that Soonyoung’s keen to explore. He’s in love with so many different cultures of the world; people aligning themselves with nature, in some instances divided by geography – like the Sherpas in the Himalayas, living at the top of the world; the Hawaiians, surrounded by sand and surf all year long.

His trek around the world had exposed him to many people, and he’d logged those memories digitally, which somehow garnered him followers from his adventures; Jihoon included. He’d been grateful of the opportunity, and that his billionaire parents weren’t against the idea of their son backpacking around the world. He’d been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, yet he absolutely despises the rigidness of social hierarchies that seemed to be the center of his parents’ world, so he’d grabbed the chance to escape it, hanging out with Jihoon’s normal, loving family when they were growing up; then travelling around the world when he was old enough.

But somehow, deep down, Soonyoung misses home. He doesn’t know where he’s headed to next, and he knows that he can’t keep travelling around for the rest of his life –

He needs stability; and the thought of that conjures Wonwoo’s serious face – the man who has goals, who knows what he’s doing with his life; the complete opposite of Soonyoung.

He quite misses Wonwoo, with his unique sense of humour, laughing at Soonyoung’s puns, especially the ones that aren’t that funny; even conjuring some of his own at the least expected of times. Wonwoo would probably be hard at work right now, troubleshooting whatever last-minute problem related to the movie he’d been working on so hard for the past year. Soonyoung remembers that Wonwoo had asked him to attend the movie premiere with him – oh, that’s so fabulously Hollywood, and Soonyoung’s definitely looking forward to it, since it means more time to hang out with Wonwoo.

But he can’t help but wonder why Wonwoo had invited him, of all people. What does Wonwoo think of him – just as someone he’d been helping out for the past few weeks, or someone whose company he enjoys? Soonyoung has never thought about how other people perceive him, since he’s comfortable in his own skin; but suddenly Wonwoo’s thoughts matter. Tracing random characters in the sand, Soonyoung forms his own thoughts of what Wonwoo thinks of him. Does Wonwoo think he’s funny? Maybe quirky? Or maybe Wonwoo’s just tolerating Soonyoung up to this point, and can’t wait to get rid of him…

Soonyoung’s thoughts drift off so far, that he doesn’t realise that he’d written Wonwoo’s name over and over in the sand. That’s all he can think about for now: Wonwoo, Wonwoo, Wonwoo.

Soonyoung tries to imagine how it’s going to be during the premiere; walking down the red carpet and getting their photos snapped by the press, even though no one knows who they are. They’d be wearing sleek suits, and Wonwoo would look very dashing, with his tall and slim frame.

Just the image of Wonwoo in a tuxedo rings wedding bells in Soonyoung’s head, and he turns red, smiling all by himself – he’d let his thoughts go a bit wild.

Soonyoung looks up to see a lone surfer out on the waves, and he doesn’t miss the opportunity to film. He recognizes the surfer’s form as he smoothly rides the top of the wave; it’s Seungcheol, never one to miss out on the sport that he holds dear to his heart. How the surfer seems to be united with the wave itself; commanding control of his body and the wave’s energy, finding the perfect point of synergy makes Soonyoung’s amazed, and he lowers his camera down to witness the moment with his own eyes. But Seungcheol tries to pull a trick and slaloms into the water instead, resurfacing almost immediately, marring the beautiful moment that Soonyoung’s appreciating.

The vlogger sits on the sand, watching Seungcheol recollect himself and attempt to catch another wave, ignoring his camera altogether.

Some moments are meant to be witnessed with your own eyes; and even from the shore, Soonyoung could feel Seungcheol’s determination when he spots a wave, flopping down to his belly, and paddling as hard as he could to match the wave’s momentum –

And there he is, emerging on top of the waves majestically like he owns the sea, looking so cool that it makes Soonyoung’s heart flutter a bit.

Soonyoung thinks that maybe he should try out surfing again, remembering the classes he’d abandoned. But he’s impatient, and he wants to be able to surf as well as Seungcheol in the blink of an eye, even though he knows perfectly well that it takes years to become as good. So he settles back to watch Seungcheol instead, who’s clearly having fun out on the waves.

“Hello, Soonyoung.” Seungcheol calls out when he finally wades back towards the shore, his surfboard floating on the water by his side.

“Good morning Cheol-hyung!” Soonyoung smiles at the older man; and Seungcheol steps onto the sand right by him, dripping wet from the salty water. “You looked really cool just now.”

“Want a surf lesson?”

“I left my wetsuit at home.” Soonyoung quickly makes up an excuse.

Seungcheol grins at the vlogger’s quick answer. “Where’s Jihoonie?”

“Sleeping.”

Seungcheol sits on the sand near Soonyoung, untangling his foot from his surfboard leash. “What are you going to do today?”

“I don’t know.”  Soonyoung exhales deeply and glances at the ocean.

Seungcheol finds it odd for the vlogger to be more pensive and less talkative, so he relishes in the peaceful calmness for a while, resting his tired body, drying off under the morning sun. It had been a good surf, and he’s satisfied – nothing feels better than to quietly unwind right after, listening to the calming sound of the waves gently lapping up against the shore.

Suddenly a golden retriever bounds up to them, tackling Seungcheol down to the ground. Soonyoung grabs his camera and leaps away, shouting in surprise at the sudden attack; then he notices Jerry coming over in a leisurely stroll.

“Down, boy!” Seungcheol’s pinned down to the ground by the dog, getting dog slobber on his face, thanks to the excited animal.

“Hi, Jerry!” Soonyoung greets the man, who coolly shrugs back. “Is that your dog?”

“Mm. Not really.” Jerry’s a bit vague, and makes no move to stop the dog from playfully attacking Seungcheol, who looks exhilarated.

“He’s cute.” Seungcheol sits up and starts making kissy faces as the delighted dog, ruffling its fur, and it barks at him.

“It likes you, Seungcheol.” Jerry remarks. “I couldn’t stop it from running towards you, funny that it picked you…” Jerry rubs his chin in thought.

Soonyoung’s turned his attention to the golden retriever, filming it with his camera, then laughs when the dog licks his camera lens.

“Can you guys help me look after it? I’d ask Thomas, but it’s his day off today, so…”

“We’ll take care of it!” Soonyoung exclaims excitedly in a heartbeat.

Jerry gladly hands over the dog’s leash over to the vlogger, who quickly gives it over to a confused Seungcheol.

“Just for today. Its owner is coming back tonight. I think.” Jerry says. “I gotta get back to the shop. See you guys.” He speed walks back to his surf shack up on the boardwalk, after offering a quick farewell grin to the two men.

Soonyoung looks up at Seungcheol with a twinkle in his eye. “Hyung, you’re free today, right?”

Seungcheol thinks for a while, and flashes of Jihoon singing his own song pass through his mind. He doesn’t have anything planned, assuming that he’ll spend the day with Jihoon, as usual. “Maybe?”

“Well, I know what we’re going to do today!” Soonyoung exclaims, and the surfer’s suddenly scared of Soonyoung’s use of the word ‘we’…

“I need to go home and shower and change and keep my board…” Seungcheol starts making up an excuse, handing over the dog’s leash over to the vlogger, who interrupts.

“Hyung, you can definitely come over and showe at our place!” Soonyoung offers. “I know you keep a change of clothes in your car, anyway.” He nudges the elder knowingly.

Seungcheol’s too polite to say no, so he lets Soonyoung and the dog accompany him back to his jeep, which is parked near Jerry’s shop. The vlogger even lets Seungcheol park at his house, the three of them driving the short distance after Seungcheol safely puts his board in the back. The dog seems to like the short ride, its tongue lolling out of its mouth excitedly.

Seungcheol’s always wanted a dog. Maybe today will be the day he finds out whether he’ll be a good owner, or not. Letting the golden retriever out of his jeep, he watches it prance around excitedly on the front lawn of the house, its leash trailing behind it like some kind of second tail.

“Do you think he’s trained?” Seungcheol wonders, grabbing the dog’s leash, following Soonyoung to the front door. The dog trails after them, wagging its tail excitedly.

“Sit, boy!” Soonyoung orders, out of the blue, and the dog complies, planting its backside on the front porch. “Don’t move.” Soonyoung grins proudly to himself and opens the front door, skipping inside. “I don’t know if Hoonie would like it if he sees a dog inside, so just let it sit out here and hope it doesn’t run away.”

Seungcheol enters the house after Soonyoung, and his heart breaks a little when the animal whines sadly when Soonyoung closes the front door; but it still heeds the command, faithfully sitting at the same spot.

“There’s a bathroom upstairs.” Soonyoung says. “First door to the left; we have soap and shampoo.”

“Is it okay to leave the dog outside?”

“Don’t worry.” Soonyoung places his camera on the side table in the hallway. “I should start making breakfast…”

Seungcheol decides to put his trust in the vlogger for once, and climbs up the stairs. He follows Soonyoung’s directions and easily finds the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

He can feel the salt water drying on his skin; a sticky sensation. Quickly, he sheds his wetsuit and enters the shower, letting the warm water loosen his muscles, steam practically fogging up the whole bathroom. He feels weird using someone else’s soap and shampoo, but he lathers his dark brown hair with the sweet jasmine shampoo that vaguely reminds him of Jihoon. Then he quickly washes himself with the soap, before turning the temperature of the water to the coldest setting, which alerts his senses.

Seungcheol steps out of the shower when he can’t bear the coldness anymore; then curses himself because his towel is buried deep inside his bag. So he stands there in the middle of the bathroom stark naked, trying to search for it when the bathroom door suddenly bursts open.

A grumpy Jihoon stands in the doorway, his eyes still closed and a towel wrapped around his neck; while Seungcheol’s like a deer caught in the headlights, frozen in his spot, hyperaware that he’s wearing nothing but his birthday suit in front of Jihoon, who cracks his eyes open slowly.

“Am I still dreaming.” The blond mumbles, slowly registering the naked man in front of him, his unfocused eyes zoning around the general area of Seungcheol’s crotch...

Panicking, Seungcheol lunges forward and grabs Jihoon’s towel to cover himself up. “Yes. Yes, you are. Sweet, sweet dreams.”

“Sweet, sweet wet dreams.” Jihoon mumbles with a tiny smile on his face, as Seungcheol hoards him out of the bathroom, and locks him outside, just in case the small blond decides to barge in once more.

Seungcheol’s breathing heavily – he’s never been more embarrassed in his life. There’s nothing about the memory that should be lingered on, and he tries to put it at the back of his mind, like nothing had happened. It’s an innocent mistake; it could’ve happened to anyone – but Seungcheol feels shy at the fact that Jihoon (read: his crush) had probably seen him naked and all he did was freak out.

He dries himself off with his own towel, then dresses quickly in a simple T-shirt and shorts, then he spends a couple of minutes trying to style his hair into something remotely presentable, but gives up, letting his bangs flop messily over his forehead. Soon, he emerges from the bathroom, only to find Jihoon leaning against the wall, snoozing.

“Here’s your towel, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol bundles the slightly damp towel he’d borrowed into Jihoon’s arms. The smaller man nods sleepily, and sleepwalks into the bathroom, almost crashing into the door frame.

“Be careful…” Seungcheol says, as Jihoon bolts the door shut loudly, as if telling Seungcheol that’s what he should’ve done earlier.

It had been his fault for not locking the bathroom door, and Jihoon himself hadn’t bothered to knock. There had been no harm done – nothing to worry about.  

The surfer collects his thoughts, then heads downstairs to the kitchen, where Soonyoung is preparing three bowls of cereal. He leaves his bag in the hallway and takes a seat at the polished kitchen island, watching Soonyoung measure out milk with a measuring cup.

“How’s your shower?” Soonyoung asks conversationally, pouring milk into an empty bowl.

“Uh, great?” A blush spreads on the surfer’s face, remembering what had happened earlier – the embarrassment hadn’t dissipated away fully, even though he’s pretty much confident with his own body (why wouldn’t he, with his toned muscles and six pack abs and a dick as big as an eggplant). He just didn’t expect Jihoon to walk in on him, and this soon…

Soonyoung drifts over to the older man and sniffs his hair. “Your hair smells like Hoonie’s.”

Seungcheol feels like slamming his head into the kitchen counter – all that’s happened, and now he’s using Jihoon’s shampoo, too? But he likes the scent; it reminds him a lot of Jihoon.

“Do you pour cereal or milk first?”

“Cereal goes first.”

“Any preferences?” Soonyoung gestures towards three different cereal boxes: some healthy organic high-fibre cereal, cornflakes, and colourful kiddy cereal.

“Surprise me.” Seungcheol says, and immediately regrets it when Soonyoung dumps half a box of the kids’ cereal into a bowl for him, followed by milk that’s been carefully measured. The colourful cereal is a bit too sweet for him, and there’s a huge imbalance in the cereal-to-milk ratio; Seungcheol feels like he’s eating dry cereal.  But he’s grateful for the food, anyway; since he’s starving after his early morning surf session.

“Oh, by the way. Don’t mention about the d-o-g sitting outside to Hoonie.” Soonyoung drops his voice down to a whisper, glancing nervously at the stairs.

“He’s got to know soon, right?”

“After breakfast.”

Soon enough, Jihoon sits at the kitchen island, joining them for breakfast; all freshened up though he still looks a bit tired. Only then Seungcheol realises that Jihoon would’ve dried himself off with the same towel he’d snatched from Jihoon to cover his dignity.

A fleeting thought enters his mind: they’d indirectly touched dicks.

Seungcheol sincerely hopes that Jihoon only remembers their bathroom encounter as a confused dream – he wouldn’t know how to explain if Jihoon ever brought it up. He scrutinizes Jihoon’s face to see if he remembers, but his expression is neutral, so Seungcheol thinks he’s off the hook this time.  

“You two smell the same; it’s so cute and domestic.” Soonyoung sniffs Jihoon’s hair this time, as he serves a soggy bowl of cornflakes for his best friend.

“Stop smelling me, it’s weird.” Jihoon says, as he shovels some cereal into his mouth, pushing Soonyoung away.

The three of them eat their breakfast in silence, though Soonyoung looks like he’s going to explode, fidgeting in his seat, grinning widely at Jihoon; who ignores him.   

The vlogger can’t keep his mouth shut anymore. “Cheol-hyung and I adopted a dog!”

Seungcheol chokes on his cereal and almost falls off his chair, while Jihoon barely flinches at Soonyoung’s sudden announcement. Of course, the vlogger can’t wait until after breakfast to tell his best friend about the golden retriever sitting outside on the front porch right now.

“Actually, Jerry asked us to dog-sit, and Soonyoung said yes.” Seungcheol corrects, before there’s any misunderstanding. At least, Jihoon believes Seungcheol instead of Soonyoung.

“Where’s the dog?”

“It’s still outside, on the front porch. I think.” Soonyoung says, slurping the remnants of milk from his cereal bowl. Seungcheol hurries towards the front porch, hearing something scrabbling on the door – it must be the dog. The moment the opens it, a golden streak rushes into the house, heading straight towards the surfer, tackling him down to the ground amidst excited yapping. Soonyoung abandons his breakfast to extricate the animal from Seungcheol, while Jihoon follows suit with his cereal bowl, still eating as he watches the scene unfold in the main hallway.

“See? This is the doggo. He loves Cheol-hyung very much.” Soonyoung manages to pull the golden retriever off Seungcheol, but instantly becomes the next victim of the dog’s licks.

It takes a few moments for the dog to stop licking Soonyoung’s face (Jihoon thinks that Soonyoung’s going to lick the dog back) and it calmly sits right next to Seungcheol, who’s cross-legged on the floor, still wiping dog slobber off his face with a napkin Jihoon had given to him.

The golden retriever is exactly like Soonyoung, only in dog form; Jihoon thinks, as he finishes up his soggy cornflakes.

“I have the perfect plan for all of us today!” Soonyoung declares out of nowhere, and starts telling them about the hike trail that he wants to try out. The dog perks its ears, as if understanding each word that Soonyoung’s saying, looking forward to the adventure.

“I can’t go, my skin still hurts.” Jihoon turns back to the kitchen with his empty bowl; and the rest of them, including the dog, follow suit.

“I peeked. It’s fine.” Soonyoung says nonchalantly, as they regroup in the kitchen, distracting the dog with a spatula.

Jihoon looks scandalised at Soonyoung’s statement, and pulls his sweater sleeves to hide his hands.

“Goldie will love the walk.” The vlogger adds.

Seungcheol’s confused, resuming his perch at the kitchen counter, pouring out some orange juice for Jihoon and himself. “Goldie?”

“We forgot to ask Jerry about the dog’s name, so I’m naming him Goldie for now.” Soonyoung kneels down, patting the dog’s head.

“Don’t people hike early in the morning?” Jihoon checks the time on his phone – it’s almost ten o’ clock in the morning, and outside, the sun is shining brightly. The chances of getting sunburnt again: very high.

Soonyoung’s stumped for a moment, thinking for an argument to counter Jihoon. “I wanna film our vlog so you gotta be there.”

Jihoon presses his lips into a thin line. “I have better things to do.” _Like finishing the song I wrote last night._

“Cheol-hyung’s coming too, because he has to take care of Goldie with me.” Soonyoung adds, letting Goldie prance around Seungcheol’s legs.

Jihoon glances at the innocent surfer, feeling bad if he left Seungcheol alone with energetic Soonyoung. Seungcheol shoots a reassuring smile back to Jihoon, as if to say _I’ll be fine._

Jihoon’s going to say no to his best friend, and as much as he wants to spend some time with Seungcheol; he’d rather stay indoors and finish the song he’d been writing since last night. It had been a tiring exercise, trying to come up with a new melody after all these years, and Jihoon needs to be truly alone to compose properly. He’s excited for this new composition; numerous ideas springing up in his little mind – he doesn’t want to lose them while they’re still fresh.

He’s about to open his mouth to reject Soonyoung completely; but why is Seungcheol’s gaze on him so, so intense, like he’s begging, _please, please, please….._

* * *

“Why am I doing this.” Jihoon grumbles, as he trudges up the hiking trail in his slippers, unhappily shoving his hands into his shorts pockets.

_Because Seungcheol shamelessly used his puppy-dog eyes, which I am weak for, and can never say no to -_

“You’re the star of ‘Soonie and Hoonie’s LA Adventure’; that’s why.” Soonyoung loops an arm around his best friend, filming them both with his camera on a selfie stick.

_Wrong._

Behind them, Seungcheol’s struggling with an excited Goldie; the dog circling around the surfer, looping its leash around the poor man’s legs. He deserves that, Jihoon scoffs, for dragging me onto this trip. Soonyoung had driven them all to the hiking trail – calling shotgun for Goldie, favouring the dog to sit on the passenger seat, where it stuck its head out of the window, enjoying the breeze as its tongue lolled out of its mouth; while Jihoon sat with Seungcheol in the backseat of Soonyoung’s Audi, suddenly feeling slightly awkward being in close proximity with the surfer who’d indirectly coerced him into coming onto this hiking trip.

“Down, boy!” Seungcheol instructs, his voice almost cracking in panic. He loves dogs, he really does – but this golden retriever is a little too excitable for his liking, and he already feels tired even though they’re barely five minutes into their hike. Goldie immediately sits on the ground, right in front of Seungcheol, who almost trips over the dog.

“Cheol, you okay?” Jihoon turns around in alarm, hearing little scuffles from Seungcheol’s direction.

“Dandy.” Seungcheol untangles himself from the leash, as Goldie looks at him expectantly, its tail wagging too fast that it’s almost a blur. Jihoon hurries over to help him anyway, and Soonyoung grins knowingly. 

“Okay, role call!” Soonyoung exclaims once he notices that Seungcheol is free from the leash. “Soonie here!” The vlogger shouts excitedly into the camera, then points it at his best friend.

“Ji- Hoonie.” Jihoon lifts a hand at the camera, barely smiling.

“Uh, Cheollie here, too?” The surfer doesn’t get a break from the camera, and Soonyoung swiftly takes Goldie’s leash from him, kneeling next to the dog.

“And this is the best boy in the whole universe, Goldie! And we all have cute matching nicknames!” Soonyoung giggles, as he pets the dog. Standing up, he gently tugs on Goldie’s leash so that the dog follows him up the trail, and he continues to narrate. “Today we’re hiking at Pinewood Beach trail, and it’s a gorgeous day.”

It’s a scenic route along the trail, with the lush green forest on one side, and the majestic blue Pacific on the other. Luckily for Jihoon, it’s a shaded area, covered by the wide canopy of leaves from the tall trees that surround them; so Jihoon doesn’t have to worry about the late morning sun burning his poor skin, even though Seungcheol had helped him slather some SPF 50 onto his arms earlier, his touch so careful and gentle that it made Jihoon feel things he’d never felt before.

“So today I’ll navigate us along the trail.” The vlogger says, walking ahead of Jihoon and Seungcheol.

“We’d probably walk off a cliff within the first five minutes.” Jihoon mutters. Seungcheol laughs at the playful remark, though Soonyoung ignores it, still filming himself, though keeping Jihoon and Seungcheol in the frame.

“Why do we look like two random guys following Soonyoung?” Seungcheol says to Jihoon, motioning towards their tiny faces on Soonyoung’s screen; and the small blond snickers. Unlike Soonyoung, who’s all set for the hike in boots and his huge backpack, the pair look like they got lost on the way to the beach, both wearing shorts and flip-flops.

“Apparently there’s a picnic area at the end of the trail, and it overlooks the sea, which should be rewarding after all this hard work!” Soonyoung says excitedly into thte camera.

“Why do I feel like this is the forest near Joshua’s mansion?” Jihoon wonders out loud, half-expecting Teddy to pop out from between the trees, bowing politely at them as he offers hot towels!

The two of them laugh over the littlest things, and Soonyoung’s glad that they’re getting more comfortable with each other; though he secretly wishes that Wonwoo would pop out from between the trees so they’d have a fun time together, too.  

Shaking his reverie away, the vlogger decides to focus the camera onto Goldie, and the dog immediately licks the device as he narrates. 

“Cheol-hyung’s supposed to take care of Goldie, but I think Goldie would help us navigate too! You don’t mind, right?” Soonyoung grins at Seungcheol, who’s glad to have Goldie off his hands. “Can someone grab a tissue from my bag, please? Goldie licked my camera.”

Seungcheol hunts for a tissue inside Soonyoung’s backpack – what a treasure trove it is, holding more than wonders of the world - when the Soonyoung suddenly gets an idea.

“Do you think I can fit a camera onto Goldie’s collar?” He asks out loud, asking no one in particular.

“No.” Jihoon answers almost automatically.

“You never know if you don’t try, Hoonie. Hyung, can you find a tiny camera in my bag?” Soonyoung wriggles, trying to look into his backpack.

“There’s…too many things in here.” Seungcheol can’t even find a tissue; giving up at the sight of the fully stuffed backpack.

Soonyoung unshoulders his bag and sets it on the ground, letting go of Goldie’s leash. “I have everything but the kitchen sink in here!” The two of them unpack the contents of Soonyoung’s bag, containing camera equipment, several changes of clothes and underwear, some snacks and a first aid kit; and a yo-yo rolls out from one of the compartments. How Soonyoung travels around carrying a ton of random things is a mystery to Seungcheol; he’s getting a backache just thinking about it.

Meanwhile, Goldie trots over to Jihoon, who’s humming to himself a distance away, tracing doodles in the dirt with a stick. The golden retriever yaps excitedly, keeping its eyes on the stick, while Jihoon barely pays attention to the dog. It sits right in the middle of Jihoon’s doodle of a tree so that the small man plays with him.

“Wanna play catch?” Jihoon dangles the stick as high as he can, and Goldie leaps, attracted by it. “Alright, fetch!” He throws the branch as far as he can, utilising his middle-school baseball skills. It flies in the air, landing a few yards back, and Goldie barks excitedly as it chases after the object to retrieve it. It lays the stick down by Jihoon’s feet, then wags its tail, looking up at him expectantly.

So Jihoon flings the twig a few more times for Goldie to fetch it for him, and the repetitiveness somehow calms him down; and he likes how Goldie is still energized after a few rounds, though it almost lost the stick the last time – Jihoon threw it too far that it landed among the shrubs.

Maybe he should get his own dog soon, Jihoon thinks, as he tosses the stick behind him, momentarily confusing the golden retriever; but it spots the flying branch, and zooms off to get it, past Seungcheol and Soonyoung, who’ve found the tissue and camera that they needed, and some beef jerky to snack on.

“Hoonie, where are you? Oh, there you are; your hair matches the leaves, you look like a tree.” Soonyoung jokes, poking fun at Jihoon’s chlorine-stained blond hair. “Did you have fun playing with Hoonie? Come here, boy.” The vlogger calls the dog over, taking the stick from its mouth, then proceeds to stroke its fur. “Who’s a good boy?” Goldie revels in Soonyoung’s attention, wagging its tail madly as the vlogger rubs between its ears.

Seungcheol attaches the small camera onto Goldie’s collar while it’s still distracted, making sure that the little red light on it is blinking, indicating that the device is recording.

“Yay! Thanks Cheol-hyung! Now the adventure can start!” Soonyoung’s already back on his feet in a second. He leads their little group up the trail, letting Goldie trot ahead of him, its leash in one hand, and his camera in the other.

Seungcheol walks with Jihoon behind Soonyoung, their hands brushing against each other’s. The surfer can feel his heartbeat accelerate; there’s this little tingle behind his neck whenever their skin touch – he’s debating whether he should grab Jihoon’s hand, which seems like a perfect fit in his own.

“I swear, Goldie is the dog version of Soonyoung.” Seungcheol says casually, trying to subtly reach for Jihoon’s tiny hand.

“Huh. Tell me about it.” Jihoon puts his hands into his pockets.

There’s goes Seungcheol’s little notion of hand-holding…

“Do you think Wonwoo likes hiking?” Soonyoung suddenly whirls around, wrapping about half of Goldie’s leash around himself.  Seungcheol’s eyes are wide, surprised at Soonyoung’s sudden question (did the vlogger know that he was going to hold Jihoon’s hand?); while Jihoon shrugs nonchalantly.

No one knows, so Soonyoung makes a mental note to invite Wonwoo next time. He’s purposefully walking ahead of Jihoon and Seungcheol, giving the pair some space as they chat. Goldie runs up ahead, chasing after a butterfly, and Soonyoung laughs at the dog’s unexpected antics, letting go of the leash so that he doesn’t get dragged along. He loves times like this: good company means a good time, even if they’re in the middle of the woods.

“I wonder if Wonwoo likes dogs.” The vlogger mutters to himself, stopping abruptly as he watches Goldie have fun on its own.

“Maybe he does.” Jihoon pops up right next to his best friend, catching up.

“Everyone loves dogs, right? They’re so cute.” Seungcheol adds his own two cents, flanking Soonyoung’s other side.

“I’ll have to ask him.” Soonyoung smiles secretly to himself, then shoves the camera into Seungcheol’s face. “Cheol-hyung, do you like hiking?”

“It’s good exercise…?”

Jihoon falls behind as Soonyoung shoots off rapid-fire questions for the surfer. There’s a gentle breeze between the trees, and he pushes his hair back, humming a little tune to himself. It’s a little cheery tune, based on the four chords he’d lazily strummed repeatedly; the exact ones he’d taught Seungcheol.

_[I wanna be your morning, baby…](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf42XluzXqI) _

Soonyoung stops in his tracks while Seungcheol chases after Goldie – the dog is almost out of their sight. The vlogger waits for his best friend to catch up, before pointing the camera at the small blond.

“Is that your new song?” Soonyoung grins, as Jihoon looks at him warily – he’d stopped humming the moment Soonyoung looked at him.

“Yes. It’s called None of Your Business.” Jihoon finds the way Soonyoung knows about everything a bit creepy. The song hasn’t been conceived yet, just fragments of phrases and a jumble of experimental melodies; so of course he’s not going to tell his best friend about it.

“Ooh. Interesting title.” Soonyoung nods thoughtfully, then waits for Jihoon to elaborate, but he doesn’t. They keep walking, watching Seungcheol catch up to Goldie in the distance, keeping a tight hold on its leash so that it doesn’t wander off too far. The surfer waits for Soonyoung and Jihoon, then they set off together down the dirt trail once more; Soonyoung filming everything from the moss on the trees to the anthill Goldie had found.

All seems well; smooth sailing. Jihoon feels like maybe hiking wasn’t a bad idea after all…

Suddenly, a sharp pain shoots up Jihoon’s leg, and he curses under his breath. His leg muscles lock up, painfully contracting; unfamiliar with the physical exertion after days of doing nothing indoors.

Seungcheol goes over to Jihoon’s aid in a heartbeat, quickly slinging an arm around Jihoon to help him to a nearby rock, and makes the smaller man sit down.

“Cramp.” Jihoon winces from the pain. He’d had cramps before, when he’d sat too long in his tiny cubicle at his job in Seoul – and that feels like a million years ago, a million miles away. He’d been quite physical during his adventures here in LA and Malibu - biking, swimming, surfing – so it’s surprising that a tiny little hike would take a toll on his body, but then again, it was possible; after days sitting around, sheltering from the sun.  

Seungcheol stretches Jihoon’s injured leg out; his movements gentle, as if Jihoon was made from fragile porcelain.

“Soonyoung, by any chance. Do you have any ice?” Even though Seungcheol already had a peek inside the vlogger’s magic backpack of thingamajigs earlier, it wouldn’t hurt to ask. His tone is urgent, and it scares Soonyoung – like the time when you-know-what happened to Jihoon.

“Nope.” Soonyoung replies automatically, stoic like a robot, not knowing what to do.  

“You guys go ahead, I’ll just rest here… argh!” Jihoon clutches his leg, his face contorted in pain. 

“Stretch it out, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol begins massaging Jihoon’s leg.

“Oh, that’s good….ohhhhhhhh.” Jihoon moans, before he lets out a little yelp when the pain returns.

“Sorry!”

“Keep going, it feels good but it hurts!”

Soonyoung silently films the pair, while Goldie puts its head on Jihoon’s lap, as if sensing the blond’s pain. Ten minutes later, the pain isn’t subsiding, not even after Seungcheol’s continuous gentle massaging, accompanied by Jihoon’s timely inappropriate moans and groans.

“Soonyoung, go ahead and explore; I’ll just take Jihoonie back to the car and wait. He’s not going anywhere with this cramp.” Seungcheol says, authority thick in his voice. “Hopefully it’ll go away soon, then we’ll catch up with you.”

“Just take him home, won’t you?” Soonyoung fishes for his car keys from inside his pocket.

“How will you get back?” The surfer hesitates to take the keys, unsure. It’s a whole drive back, and the hiking trail is almost in the middle of nowhere.

“I’ll hitch a ride or something. Works everytime.” Soonyoung grins confidently. His travels over the world had taught him how to handle different kinds of people; added with his friendly charm.

“Just don’t get lost.” Jihoon snipes, clutching his leg.

Soonyoung laughs. “So are you gonna carry Hoonie back to the car? Fireman’s carry? Bridal style? Piggyback? I’d help, but my backpack is too big unless Goldie can carry it.”

“It’s fine, Soonyoung.” Seungcheol easily gathers Jihoon into his arms, one hand supporting Jihoon’s back and the other tucked under his legs; carrying the small man like he weighs nothing.

Just like a hero carrying a damsel in distress in Those Romantic Movies that Mingyu from Human Resources always plays; and the tips of Jihoon’s ears turn red.

“Ooh, can I have a photo?” Soonyoung’s eyes widen when he sees the pair, producing his phone out of his pocket.

“My leg hurts!” Jihoon bellows, momentarily rendering Seungcheol deaf; and the surfer almost drops him. Jihoon wraps his arms around Seungcheol’s neck, clinging on for dear life; and he can feel his leg throbbing, the pain showing no signs of subsiding.

“See you, Soonyoung!” Seungcheol quickly takes off down the trail, carefully cradling Jihoon in his arms.

“I got the photo, Goldie.” Soonyoung whispers conspiratorially to the golden retriever, showing the picture he’d quickly snapped on his phone. The dog sniffs the device, then licks it immediately, prompting a groan from the vlogger, because he’d misplaced his tissues.

The three of them had gone quite a way along the trail, but Seungcheol hurries along, back to Soonyoung’s car, as best as he can in his flip-flops while carrying Jihoon.

The small man plays with the collar of Seungcheol’s white T-shirt, not knowing where else to look (being this close to Seungcheol’s unbelievably handsome face would result in a heart attack); and as a method to distract himself from the pain. He feels safe in the surfer’s strong arms; and the thin fabric of Seungcheol’s shirt leaves little to the imagination, teasing Jihoon’s little mind with the suggestive outline of those toned muscles (which he’d seen before, but that was entirely different from the sensation of being in contact, at least through fabric, with them).

That morning, Jihoon had had some weird dream of seeing Seungcheol naked in his own bathroom…

Just the thought makes him bury his nose into Seungcheol’s neck.

“You okay?” Seungcheol’s deep voice vibrates through Jihoon’s body.

Jihoon nods, wondering why Seungcheol smells like the familiar jasmine shampoo that he uses himself…

They finally make it to the entrance of the trail, where a few onlookers throw sympathetic and worried looks at them. A kind hiker even gives an ice pack to Jihoon, who immediately presses it against his injured leg; moaning at the cold relief. Cramps aren’t strange when it comes to hiking, but Jihoon doesn’t like all the stares, and the pain in his leg isn’t helping. Seungcheol can sense that Jihoon feels uncomfortable, and he silently curses Soonyoung for parking the car at the furthest place end of the carpark.

The moment Seungcheol deposits Jihoon onto the passenger seat of Soonyoung’s rented Audi, Jihoon’s cramp miraculously disappears.

“Does it still hurt?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Jihoon hands the ice pack to Seungcheol, bending his leg to show that it’s completely fine, like nothing had happened.

Seungcheol looks at Jihoon in disbelief, then laughs heartily, pressing the ice pack to his face. “This was just an elaborate plan of yours to get out of hiking…I like it.”

“Can we just get back home?” The blond sounds impatient, already strapping his seatbelt on.

“You don’t want to wait for Soonyoung?”

“He’s survived on this planet for twentysomething years. He’ll be fine, especially if he says so.”

Seungcheol grins, closing the passenger door for Jihoon; before he goes around the hood towards the driver’s seat. He ignites the engine and slowly leaves the area, heading back to the heart of Malibu, towards Soonyoung and Jihoon’s rented beach house, where the pair spend the rest of the day together without interruption from the eccentric Soonyoung.

Jihoon’s cramp turns out to be a win-win situation for everyone: Soonyoung gets to explore the hiking trail with Goldie, eventually making it to the picnic area he’d mentioned earlier, though he didn’t have food with him apart from vitamin water and some leftover beef jerky. Jihoon continues composing his new tune on the piano in the living room, while Seungcheol gets to rest, though he’s not used to doing nothing. The surfer leans back on the couch, closing his eyes, listening closely to the music that Jihoon’s making. He doesn’t dare to make even a squeak, scared of disrupting Jihoon’s creative energy. The small blond is in the zone, forgetting about his surroundings; immersing himself in the music. Slowly, everything comes together – the verses to the bridge to the chorus, almost forming a whole song.

Soonyoung only gets back in the evening with several grocery bags and Goldie in tow, breathless. Seungcheol, who’s dozed off on the couch, wakes up with a start when the vlogger announces his return loudly.

“Cheol-hyung, thanks for taking care of Hoonie today; can you please take Goldie back to Jerry, please?”

“Okay, sure.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow!” Soonyoung hands Goldie’s leash to the surfer, then pushes both confused man and dog out the front door.  Jihoon doesn’t even get to say goodbye to Seungcheol, and he raises an eyebrow at his best friend.

“And you Hoonie, I’ve got a project for you. Actually, YOU’RE the project.” The vlogger starts unpacking the groceries right in the hallway, pulling out a jumbo bottle of ketchup, and some Kool-Aid. 

Jihoon’s been the victim of so many of Soonyoung’s so-called projects over the years; and even if he protests, Soonyoung would win anyway. So he lets his best friend drag him to the kitchen; where Soonyoung forces him to sit on a chair, and dumps the entire bottle of ketchup onto his chlorine-stained blond head.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Jerry, OTL.  
> \- Trying my best to write even though I'm a bit busy, so I'm trying to compensate with longer chapters, which, unfortunately takes longer to write... ><  
> \- Feedback is always, always appreciated!


	28. man in a movie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! have a **giant** soonwoo chapter!  
>  may contain mistakes, but guaranteed fluff.   
> updates will be slower bc of work and life, but i'll try my best >.<  
> of course, feedback is **always** appreciated...
> 
> chapter song: [ day 6's man in a movie ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXO0Ts77vT8)

Jihoon tousled his strawberry pink hair – it had been five days, but he’s still not used to the outrageously bright colour. As usual, it had been Soonyoung’s brilliant plan…

_“Can’t stand to see your lettuce hair.” Soonyoung said, as he slathered half a bottle of ketchup onto Jihoon’s scalp. The vlogger had traipsed the internet with Wonwoo, searching for a homemade remedy to fix Jihoon’s poor chlorine-stained blond hair. This seemed like the cheapest method to him, and he’d been able to get everything he needed for his temporary Jihoon salon at the grocery store._

_“How is this even helping?” Jihoon asked, as a dollop of sauce trickled down the bridge of his nose._

_“It’s science, Hoonie. Don’t question Einstein.” Soonyoung massaged Jihoon’s scalp, making sure the ketchup reached each strand of hair, right down to the roots on his best friend’s head._

_Right after the ketchup massage, Soonyoung rinsed the gooey sauce off, then dumped Kool-Aid onto Jihoon’s head, and voila!_

_For a second, Soonyoung thought that he could become a hairdresser, when he judged the final result. Jihoon really suited the colour he’d randomly picked out at the store, because that was the flavour of Kool-Aid that was the most abundant. It made him look younger, more innocent, if only he could wipe that frown off his face…_

_Jihoon on the other hand, was ready to bury himself in his sheets and hide away from the world until his hair turned grey naturally, or at least until his original dark roots grew back out, however long that would take – no freaking way he was going to let the world, especially Seungcheol, see the atrocious colour his hair was._

Of all colours in the spectrum, Soonyoung had to pick pink. Barbie-bright pink. It looks like someone dumped a melted strawberry popsicle on his head; and over the days, everytime he takes a shower; the water going down the drain would be slightly pink, his dye job slowly fading away.

At least, he’s finished his new song. Jihoon’s sitting on the beach with his guitar, liking how the breeze carries his music far away. The surf lapping calmly against the shore provides an ambience in the atmosphere, as Jihoon strums and hums his latest composition. Despite feeling rusty in songwriting – it’s been years since he’d written a proper song – he thinks that it’s a stepping stone to reacquaint himself with it. The evening sun is gradually moving towards the horizon; the calm serenity sky stained with brilliant orange from the sun rays.

A handful of surfers are riding the waves in the distance, and it reminds Jihoon of Seungcheol, who’s been in Los Angeles for the past few days. Seungcheol hasn’t even seen Jihoon’s new dye job; that’s how long he’d been gone.

With Jerry, Seungcheol had gotten a spot as an extra on some B-list Hollywood movie. Familiar with the surfer’s acting aspirations, Jihoon hopes that it’ll finally be Seungcheol’s big break into showbiz, though a tiny part of him misses the surfer’s warm company, wishing that he’d be able to keep Seungcheol all to himself.

Jihoon’s been sitting on the beach for a while, trying to escape things at home – Soonyoung’s up to something, and he wants absolutely nothing to do with it. With no one (Wonwoo) to distract the vlogger, and in Seungcheol’s absence, Jihoon had been roped into misadventures with his best friend, all of which had been documented in video, stashed into Soonyoung’s hard drive. It had been a miracle for Jihoon to finish writing his song, especially under Soonyoung’s scrutiny, but he’d found ways to escape his best friend, changing his hiding spots daily, doing his best to finish his composition. Right now, Soonyoung is at home panicking about something Jihoon didn’t pay attention to – Soonyoung might’ve mentioned it ten million times every night at dinner, but it completely passed his mind.

Jihoon closes his eyes and let the music carry him away as he sings his self-written lyrics softly. Songwriting had always been his creative outlet, letting his feelings be shared with the world; a unique way to express himself, and he’s glad he never lost his touch.

Sitting on the sand, he imagines what it would’ve been like if he’d continued music after high school, instead of taking the safer – and more stressful, at least in his opinion – route in the world of business and finance.

Life would’ve been much, much different, and Jihoon wouldn’t be sitting here, singing songs he’d written about a certain surfer who crossed his mind more often that he’d imagined…

“Jihoonie!” Seungcheol’s voice infiltrates Jihoon’s mind; and his eyes pop open, angling his head in the direction where the sound came from. He’s definitely not imagining that – the familiar, deep tone belonging to the surfer feels so real.

And lo, there he is in all of his glory, approaching Jihoon like he’s in a freaking beach movie; Choi Seungcheol, in the flesh, wearing his usual board shorts and t-shirt and a bright smile especially for Jihoon.

It seems like one of those scenes in Those Romantic Movies – Seungcheol looks like he’s walking towards Jihoon in slow motion, the gentle sea breeze whipping through his hair, making it look effortlessly sexy, and they’d run to each other and hug and kiss passionately like they haven’t seen each other in years.

Only that Jihoon’s backside is imprinted firmly onto the sand, since he’s been sitting there for too long. So he just waits there for the older to come towards him, smiling, and admiring the view. Seungcheol’s back; and he’s happy. He’s ecstatic. He’s over the moon – it’s insane how Seungcheol’s presence could make him feel so much.

“I almost didn’t recognize you!” Seungcheol grins, all teeth and gums.

“Hi Seungcheol.” Jihoon smiles back shyly, positive that his face is a similar shade with his hair. The surfer sits right next to him, stretching himself comfortably.

Seungcheol reaches out to touch Jihoon’s strawberry hair. “It suits you. Really cute.”

_Cute._

If it had been anyone else (read: Soonyoung) uttering that four-letter word, Jihoon would’ve murdered them, but Seungcheol makes the word sound like magic.

“So how was LA?” Jihoon asks, and Seungcheol immediately launches into a long-winded anecdote of his brief acting stint. Since Seungcheol and Jerry were only extras, they barely had scenes, and had to wait for about half a day until the director needed them on set. Jihoon thinks that Seungcheol (maybe Jerry, but definitely Seungcheol) could’ve gotten the lead just by his looks and qualifications; so to him, it was (biased) injustice that Seungcheol had sucky working hours. Jihoon smiles fondly at the surfer as he tells his story animatedly, adding all the little details. Just watching Seungcheol makes him feel contented – he loves the way the surfer turns into a happy child when he talks about the things he likes; smiles all gums, laughing without a care in the world.

People say, absence makes the heart grow fonder; and oh, how true it is – Jihoon’s never felt so overwhelmed with feelings: happiness, adoration, trepidation.

All that for a stupidly adorable surfer.

He listens intently to Seungcheol, loving the sound of the surfer’s voice he’d missed. Seungcheol could talk about things as dreary as the history of the colour yellow, and Jihoon would still listen to him and find it fascinating. Even the sound of the waves lapping against the shore nearby melts away as Jihoon focuses on nothing but Seungcheol. 

“HOONIE! HELP!” Soonyoung screams from the house, his pitiful voice so loud it echoes across the ocean. Seungcheol stops his anecdote and looks back at the house, a concerned expression on his face. Jihoon blinks back into reality when he realises that Seungcheol’s stopped talking, barely hearing Soonyoung’s anguished cries; he’d been concentrating on Seungcheol’s presence instead. 

Jihoon knows that Soonyoung probably needs his help for something petty, like tying his shoelaces (which Soonyoung claims, is difficult at times, especially when the laces aren’t of the same length) or he’s gotten stuck somewhere, and needs Jihoon to free him. Jihoon’s about to ignore Soonyoung, pretending like nothing’s happened when Soonyoung calls out for him again, sounding even more desperate than the first time.

“I think Soonyoung needs your help.” Seungcheol says quietly.

With a sigh, Jihoon gets to his feet - almost toppling over, since he’d been sitting down for too long, but Seungcheol manages to hold onto his arm to prevent him from falling. Jihoon turns as pink as his hair at that unexpected little blunder, then grabs his guitar, before marching up the beach back to the house with Seungcheol trailing closely behind him.

Just as the pair enter the house, the doorbell rings. “i’ll get that. You go look for Soon.” Seungcheol says, taking Jihoon’s guitar from him and puts it aside. Jihoon wishes it could’ve been the other way around, since he doesn’t feel like entertaining Soonyoung, but his best friend calls out for him again. Seungcheol’s already opening the front door for their guest, whoever it is; so Jihoon bolts up the stairs, taking two at a time.

Jihoon finds Soonyoung in his room, all dressed up in a stylish suit; but struggling with his bowtie. Taking a deep breath, Jihoon calmly enters the room, and sits on the edge of Soonyoung’s bed, watching his best friend choke himself with the tiny garment. Jihoon has no idea how to tie a bowtie himself, why couldn’t Soonyoung get one of those clip-ons instead? (Of course, it has a garish design too, the red colour popping out against Soonyoung’s dark suit). The vlogger is on the verge of tears when he finally gives up, turning to Jihoon. “Are you just gonna sit there and not help your own best friend who desperately needs your help?” Soonyoung’s clearly distressed, talking in circles.

“I’d film you, if I could.” Jihoon deadpans, finding the whole situation funny instead. Soonyoung’s probably got something going on tonight, since he’s all dressed up, but Jihoon can’t bother to ask. It’s probably something important, since Soonyoung’s extremely nervous - he’s already sweating bullets even though he’s still getting ready.

Soonyoung makes an annoyed face and continues to tug on the bowtie, twisting it in every way around his neck so that it doesn’t fall off. “Wonwoo’s gonna be here any second, and I’m not even ready yet. I’m so nervous, Hoonie.”

“Wonwoo’s already here.” Jihoon says teasingly, assuming that their visitor downstairs is Wonwoo.

“Soon, Wonwoo’s here!” Seungcheol yells up the stairs as if on cue, and Soonyoung visibly turns paler. He smashes his face into the nearest pillow and screams into it; and Jihoon watches him with an amused expression, wishing that he could take a video.

Soonyoung stops screaming and sits up, glancing at his best friend. “Go in my place, Hoonie. He won’t notice, because we look alike. I’m gonna puke I’m so nervous.”

Jihoon finally remembers that Soonyoung and Wonwoo are going to Wonwoo’s movie premiere. Wonwoo had worked really hard on that movie; spending days apart from Soonyoung, and now Soonyoung has the honour of walking down the red carpet with him. It’s still quite early, but the drive to LA takes a while, and they’ve also got a dinner reservation prior to the premiere at an exclusive restuarant serving the best steaks this side of the West Coast.

Wonwoo might not have explicitly said it, but his actions clearly show it - he’s out to woo Soonyoung, and Jihoon doesn’t mind one bit. He’s glad, even, since Wonwoo is the only person who can keep his best friend grounded. Things are always much calmer when Wonwoo’s around Soonyoung, and Jihoon’s grateful for that. 

Jihoon thinks it’s cute that Soonyoung and Wonwoo’s first date is going to be at a movie premiere. He knows Soonyoung would love it, soaking in all the glitz and glamour; and he’d probably chase the lead actor down the carpet for an autograph, armed with a camera.

But next to him, Soonyoung’s hyperventilating; worrying for the date ahead.

“I can’t tie this stupid bowtie and Won-won’s already here. We’re gonna be late for dinner and late for the premiere and he’s gonna hate me forever and what if I hate the movie?” Soonyoung’s thinking out loud; and negative thoughts are clouding his brain. Jihoon needs to shake some sense into his best friend, so he grips Soonyoung’s shoulders and literally shakes him out of his funk.

Jihoon grabs the red bowtie hanging loosely from Soonyoung’s neck and tosses it aside; then unbuttons the top few buttons of his slightly creased black shirt. He even pushes Soonyoung’s bangs back, but it flops back over his forehead in a slightly messy style. Even Soonyoung’s bangs are wild like Soonyoung himself, so Jihoon leaves it at that.

“There. Better.” For a brief moment, Jihoon thinks that he should become a Hollywood stylist – but really, he can’t be bothered with fashion, so he scratches that idea. Soonyoung gets up and stares at his reflection in the mirror - the unbuttoned shirt exposes a bit of his collarbones; giving off a casual air from his formal look. A smile creeps onto his face; mochi cheeks back in full force. Jihoon doesn’t have to say much; but his actions meant a lot - Soonyoung knows that this is Jihoon’s silent way of telling him to chin up and think positively. Soonyoung drags Jihoon into a bear hug, thanking him for saving his life; even though Jihoon barely did anything but mess up his outfit.

Meanwhile, Wonwoo is fidgeting in the hallway downstairs, pulling on his tie. Seungcheol has absolutely no idea what’s going on, being away from Malibu for a while, but he gets the picture that Wonwoo is here to pick Soonyoung up - are they going on a date? He’s all dressed up in a suit and tie, and Seungcheol wants to ask; but Wonwoo looks distracted enough. He’s glancing too many times at the stairs, hoping that Soonyoung would appear - but not now though, he’s not ready yet. He’d waited about ten minutes outside before pressing the doorbell, and was partly relieved to see Seungcheol opening the door. It’s been a while since his last date...a really long while; and he’s got elephants stomping around in his stomach.

“Do you think it’s too much?” The room feels stuffy, and Wonwoo’s fingers are trembling as he tightens the knot of his tie, almost choking himself.

“Well, I think it’s better if you loosen it a bit.” Seungcheol suggests gently; slightly alarmed because Wonwoo looks like he’s asphyxiating. Wonwoo follows the suggestion, yanking his tie right down to chest level.

Seungcheol just smiles patiently - he’d be nervous too, if he were going on a date with someone he really likes (read: Jihoon). “Maybe that’s a bit casual, but it kinda works….”

Wonwoo’s barely listening; blinking profusely. “My eyeballs feel like they’re gonna fall out.” He’d ditched his glasses for contacts especially for that night – Seungcheol almost didn’t recognise him without the spectacles when he opened the door. There’s a mirror in the hallway, and Wonwoo strides over, checking his eyes to make sure that his contacts are intact. They are, but he pokes them a bit more - what if they suddenly slip off? He’d be blind for the night, and that can’t happen. Wonwoo wants - needs - tonight to be perfect. He needs to calm down, but his palms are sweaty and his heart is going out of control -

“Wonwoo.” Soonyoung calls out from the top of the stairs.

Wonwoo stops poking his eye and turns slowly towards Soonyoung, who’s descending the stairs with a smile on his face.  Suddenly, everything else in the world doesn’t matter anymore, except for Soonyoung. He’s wearing a dark suit that fits him perfectly (yes, Soonyoung brings around one (1) suit with him in his backpack when he’s travelling the world); the top few buttons of the black shirt he’s wearing underneath his jacket unbuttoned in a cool manner.

For someone who Wonwoo has always seen wearing T-shirts and shorts, Soonyoung cleans up pretty well in a suit, even though he’s still wearing his ratty sneakers with them, which makes him look even cooler. Did he do something with his hair, too?  Doesn’t matter, because Wonwoo would think Soonyoung would look cute even if he’s bald…

Wonwoo feels overdressed wearing his tie, and thinks about ripping it off; but Soonyoung casually walks up to him and fixes it, adjusting it so it rests just slightly under his collar - not too tight, but just right. Wonwoo smiles fondly at Soonyoung; his familiar presence calming him down. He hasn’t seen Soonyoung in a while, busy with work, and he’s glad that he’d invited Soonyoung to attend the premiere with him. The movie’s speculated to hit box office upon its release, and Wonwoo finds that expectation to be a burden for him. But he knows, with Soonyoung’s reassuring presence by his side, everything would somehow turn out just right.

Meanwhile, Jihoon, who’d followed Soonyoung downstairs, is filming everything with his best friend’s camera, keeping Seungcheol in the loop, who nods in understanding as he listens in awe. A movie premiere as a first date is a bit impressive, Seungcheol thinks - he’s a tad bit jealous he can’t go to one of those things...but he knows, Wonwoo’s been working hard, and he deserves this moment - how nice of him to share it with Soonyoung. Maybe if he was a successful actor, Seungcheol would definitely take Jihoon along to movie premieres, too, but his heart ached slightly at the thought of a dream that seems out of reach...

The whole scene reminds Seungcheol of Those Teen Movies where the kids dress up nicely and go to prom, and the parents send them off, snapping photos beforehand. The only thing that’s missing are boutonnieres for Soonyoung and Wonwoo to pin onto each other’s jackets; but they aren’t teens going to prom, and those would be too much for a glamorous Hollywood movie premiere! Soonyoung’s done fixing Wonwoo’s tie; now he’s dusting some lint off Wonwoo’s shoulder while Jihoon’s still filming it all, cringing internally at all the cheesiness.

“So what time will you guys be back?” Seungcheol can’t help but sound like a concerned father.

“We’ll be staying in the city overnight.” Wonwoo says. He’d planned it all - they’d be crashing at Chan the intern’s place if the premiere ends late, which is most likely, thanks to LA traffic and Hollywood timing. Soonyoung had excitedly packed an overnight bag last week, which is already sitting by the door (Jihoon’s tripped over that bloody bag too many times over the past few days).

“‘Kay. see you guys.” Jihoon’s eager to be rid of Soonyoung after spending a whole week with him; and he tries to hand the camera over to his best friend, who ignores him, grinning madly at Wonwoo.

Jihoon awkwardly holds the device in his hands, being snubbed by Soonyoung, and steps backwards, out of their little bubble; knowing that he might interrupt something between those two.

“You look different without your glasses.” Soonyoung says softly. “I can see your eyes better.”

Wonwoo knows this fact himself, but he’s practically blind without his spectacles, and contacts are a bit of a hassle for him sometimes; but if Soonyoung likes it, he’ll wear them forever, even if it makes his eyes dry up like prunes.

“We’ll be leaving now.” Wonwoo smiles to Seungcheol and Jihoon, almost like waiting for a blessing from them to take Soonyoung away. Seungcheol nods, standing behind Jihoon – looking like proud prom parents in Those Teen Movies.

Wonwoo places a hand on Soonyoung’s back, taking his bag and leading him out the front door.

“Take care, guys. Enjoy the movie!” Seungcheol adds, following them to the front porch, waving like he’s sending his own son off.

Wonwoo unlocks his car, which parked by the kerb, with a beep. He opens the passenger door for Soonyoung, who slides in excitedly.

He puts Soonyoung’s bag in the boot, then ignites the engine, driving off towards the big city; leaving Seungcheol and Jihoon alone in the rented beach house. 

Seungcheol gazes at Jihoon, who’s weighing Soonyoung’s camera in his hands. Soonyoung leaving his most precious possession, which would always be glued to his hands; says volumes about how he feels about Wonwoo, that’s for sure. At least, that’s what Jihoon thinks.

“So you wanna watch a movie or something?” Seungcheol invites himself to hang out with Jihoon for the rest of the evening, knowing that the younger probably doesn’t have plans if Soonyoung’s not around.

Jihoon smiles back at the surfer - it’s like their own little date. It’s not a movie premiere, but he still gets time to hang out with Seungcheol, and that’s the most important thing. “Sounds good.”

* * *

The drive to LA takes a while, since there are a lot of cars on the road. The sky gets darker, and streetlights flicker on, illuminating the roads to the city. Wonwoo drives carefully, the speakers playing songs off his favourite playlist, which Soonyoung hums to. 

They’ve barely said a word to each other, which is unusual, because normally Soonyoung would be talking non-stop until his teeth fall off. Not tonight, because Soonyoung is too fixated on the lanky man who’s driving. He gazes at Wonwoo, appreciating his sharp features – his side profile looking perfectly sculpted, from the slope of his nose to his angular jawline. His eyes are a bit cat-like, free of glasses, and Soonyoung thinks that Wonwoo could pass for the lead actor when they walk down the red carpet later.

Maybe it’s the lowlights, casting shadows over Wonwoo’s features, accentuating them. Maybe it’s the fitted suit, or even the hint of musk that Wonwoo’s wearing. Soonyoung leans in closer to smell it, while Wonwoo tries his best to focus on the road – no, Soonyoung trying to smell his neck isn’t a distraction.

Soonyoung smiles to himself – the fact that Wonwoo made an effort for this occasion flattered him. For someone who practically lives in hoodies even though he’s in Southern California, Wonwoo cleans up well, and Soonyoung likes it. A whole lot.

“You look really nice.” Soonyoung blurts out for the nth time, sounding like an excited fanboy.

“You too, Soon.” Wonwoo smiles coolly, chancing a quick glance at the man wiggling restlessly in the passenger seat.

Soonyoung laughs nervously – compliments are the only semblance of a conversation they’ve had this evening. There’s so many other things Soonyoung wants to tell Wonwoo, but seeing this other side of him – the cool, handsome, actor-like type – makes his tongue all tied up, leaving so many words left unsaid.

“Oh, this is my favourite.” Wonwoo reaches over to increase the volume on the stereo, and the first few sentimental notes of a song trickles out of the speakers. Soonyoung smiles, immediately recognising the song.

They sing along to [Lee Dokyeom’s latest song,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icLQIE4cOSA) and Soonyoung’s impressed when Wonwoo nails a high note, in perfect harmony with the singer.

Wonwoo can sing really well, and it makes Soonyoung wonder if he sings in the shower.  

Just when Wonwoo thinks they’re going to make it on time for their dinner reservation – driving from Malibu to LA had been smooth - they immediately get stuck in a traffic jam, a standstill of cars going nowhere. Soonyoung can sense Wonwoo getting agitated as their car moves about an inch every five minutes, so he shuffles songs on the playlist that he knows Wonwoo would like, and they sit in the car, singing to whatever’s playing on the stereo. Eventually, Wonwoo starts getting distracted by his own thoughts, tapping impatiently on the steering wheel, willing the cars in front of them to move so they could all get to their destination soon.

The traffic heading to the Los Angeles city centre is madness, and they’re going to miss their dinner reservation that Wonwoo had made at one of the swankiest restuarants in town. Chan’s already calling Wonwoo; his phone buzzing madly in his pocket. Apparently, the film staff have to be there before the stars show up because the paparazzi doesn’t want to take photos of people who work behind the scenes. Wonwoo already knows they’re late, and he doesn’t need Chan to remind him, besides, would it make a difference if he walked down the red carpet right behind Chris Hemsworth?  

Wonwoo finally manages to answer Chan’s calls at a red light; assuring the intern that they’ll arrive soon. He checks his watch - they’re already forty minutes late for dinner; and their reserved table probably has been given to other waiting patrons.

There goes his chance of impressing Soonyoung at dinner…

“Soon, I’m sorry. We’ve got to get to the theatre now.” Wonwoo says when he concludes his phone call. He feels bad for skipping dinner: Soonyoung’s always been the one buying him food all this while, and now he wants to return the favour. The reservation he’d made was at one of the best restaurants that served high quality steaks, cooked to perfection. Wonwoo had been looking forward to seeing Soonyoung’s reaction, hoping that the vlogger would be impressed by the expensive cuisine, but that would probably never happen now.

“S’okay. We can always get food after.” Soonyoung says, chipper. But his stomach rumbles at that very moment - he hadn’t been able to eat all day; nerves had been getting to him. He turns red, sure that Wonwoo and the people in the next car couldn’t have missed that sound. “Did you hear thunder?” Soonyoung tries to make a joke out of it, but Wonwoo barely cracks a smile.

“I’m just so sorry Soonyoung.” Wonwoo mutters, feeling even more guilty, now that Soonyoung’s probably going to starve because of him. Those squishy mochi cheeks gone…he can’t bear the thought of that; so he pushes it to the back of his mind and turns his focus back to the road. He’s trying to cut through three lanes of non-moving traffic, flicking on his turn signal. At that moment, Wonwoo’s starting to lose hope - he’d wanted the evening to turn out smoothly; but things are slowly spiralling out of hand. “Hopefully there’ll be something to eat at the theatre, like finger food, but it won’t make you full.”

Soonyoung reaches over and puts his hand over Wonwoo’s, which is resting on the gearstick. “It’s okay. Some things are out of your control, like this stupid traffic jam, and it’s not your fault.” Wonwoo let out a heavy sigh, and Soonyoung grasped his hand tighter. “Let’s just go watch the movie, Won-won. I bet it’s amazing.”

Wonwoo glances at Soonyoung and smiles at him, grateful for the reassurance – his words hold substantial truth. Things are going to be fine. Things _had_ to be fine. His work was his pride, and he wants Soonyoung to watch the piece that he’d tirelessly been working on for the past year. “Wait until you see it.”

They finally make it to the theatre, twenty minutes late. Wonwoo’s plain sedan looks out of place among the flashier cars and limousines lining up for the red carpet. When they finally arrive at the drop-off point at the front of the theatre, Wonwoo surrenders his vehicle to a waiting valet, then he hurries over to the passenger’s side to open Soonyoung’s door, but Soonyoung’s already out of the car, nervous and excited at the same time.  

This is it. The red carpet. Soonyoung gapes in awe at the whole setup – the majestic theatre building all lit up with spotlights looming in front of them, the one that he’d only seen on the internet. There’s a patch of paparazzi snapping away photos of the arriving stars nearby, their camera shutters loudly clicking away; and big, burly bodyguards with secret in-ear headsets roaming the perimeter, keeping a hawk eye out for trouble.

It’s all so infinitely Hollywood, and a smile stretches over Soonyoung’s face. An usher directs the two of them to the red carpet that magically rolls all the way to the entrance of the theatre, plush and inviting. Soonyoung gets goosebumps – he can’t believe that this is happening! His arm automatically goes up in his usual filming pose, like he’s holding his video camera, which is notably absent; but he doesn’t need it tonight – there’s a million other cameras covering the event. Tonight, he’s not the one filming – he’s the one being filmed, and the change feels oddly nice, and he slowly lowers his arm back to his side, still smiling.  

They stand there at the edge of the red carpet, as a limousine pulls right beside them, dropping off one of the supporting members of the cast, who instantly gets swallowed up by the relentless media once they step on the red carpet.

Wonwoo’s been quietly watching Soonyoung gawk over the red carpet, his own heart beating faster in nervousness and anxiety. He’s never been one for the fame - flashes going off everywhere, blinding him; everyone scrutinizing them from head to toe like they’re animals on display in a zoo. He bites his lower lip in nervous anticipation, balling his fists. This is why he hates going to things like this; it makes him feel on edge.

“You okay, Won-won?” Soonyoung notices that Wonwoo’s turned pale all of a sudden.

Wonwoo spies the entrance of the theatre, far away from the media frenzy. It’s where Chan and the rest of the editing team would be waiting - all he has to do to get there is to brave the hordes of paparazzi, who are starting to go wild with the appearance of the second lead actor on the red carpet, right behind the two of them. Naturally, Soonyoung would’ve been star-struck, rushing after them for their autographs, but tonight, his focus is all on Wonwoo, who’s visibly shaken by the madness lying ahead of them.

Wonwoo takes a deep breath, collecting himself; before he looks at Soonyoung with a rejuvenated expression. “Let’s roll.”

Their red carpet walk is uneventful, since they’re practically sneaking behind the cast being interviewed by the press. Security even hurries them along, noticing that they’re not A-listers from the Hollywood scene, and Wonwoo’s a bit glad for the hustling – it means that he doesn’t have to stay on the red carpet for long. He’s being blinded by the brightness of everything surrounding them: instead of wearing contacts, he should’ve brought his sunglasses instead! Soonyoung spots a few famous faces on the red carpet, and he wants to go over to shamelessly say hello to them, but Wonwoo’s looking anxious enough that he passes up the chance and sticks closely to his date instead.

They run into the movie’s director at the end, and the guy hails Wonwoo over. Wonwoo looks like he would rather enter the theater straight to safety, but he still goes over to the director, who’s speaking to a reporter, with her own team of cameras and lights set up at a corner, broadcasting the event live. Soonyoung of course, follows him, smiling at everything just in case someone takes his photo.

Mr Director starts introducing them to the reporter. “This is the head of our editing department, Jeon Wonwoo. And…”

“Kwon Soonyoung, travel vlogger, star of Soonie and Hoonie’s LA adventure, exclusively available on travellinghamster.com!” Soonyoung leans into the microphone, nodding towards the camera, introducing himself for the world to know.

The reporter’s jaw slackens, and she shoves the microphone into Soonyoung’s face, hurrying over to his side. “I’m a fan, Mr Kwon!”

“Thank you! Do you want an autograph?”

“A selfie would be nice, please.” The excited reporter pulls out her personal phone out of her purse, and scoots over closer to Soonyoung to take a few photos. Wonwoo and the director watch them for a while, as they pose for silly photos together, then follow each other on their social media accounts, immediately posting the pictures for the whole internet to see. Wonwoo starts tapping his foot anxiously, trying the mask a hint of jealousy seeing Soonyoung getting all cosy with a stranger.

Satisfied with the pictures, the reporter returns to professional mode immediately, smiling into the camera. “We’re live on the red carpet with Shannon Bae, at the premiere of _No Words Needed_. Right now, I’m with the director of the movie Aaron Kwak, and the Travelling Hamster himself, Soonyoung Kwon!”

Soonyoung wants to include Wonwoo in, but he’s not sure how to interrupt Shannon politely. She’s chattering enthusiastically about his vlog a hundred words a minute, almost forgetting that she’s there to report about the movie premiere.

“We’re glad to see you here, Soonyoung! I’m sure our viewers here on iTrend are familiar with your vlog. Where’s Jihoon, by the way?” Shannon smiles at the vlogger, pointing her microphone in his direction.

“Is this a livestream?” Soonyoung asks, and Shannon nods with a huge smile on her face. “Hoonie’s at home, maybe he’s watching. Hi Hoonie!” The vlogger waves into the camera, grinning widely, expertly playing it up for the camera.

Shannon giggles. “Jihoon’s actually really cute.”

“Don’t let him hear you say that.” Soonyoung says, with a serious face. “But he secretly likes it, I think.”

Shannon giggles some more, which makes Wonwoo a tiny bit more jealous. “Well, we anticipate more adventures from both of you!”

“Actually, Wonwoo’s been helping out with my vlog too; and he’s also been working on the movie.” Soonyoung pulls Wonwoo into the spotlight, thinking that he might feel left out, oblivious to the look of horror on Wonwoo’s face when the camera focuses on him instead.

“Any words on the movie?” Shannon holds the microphone towards Wonwoo.

Wonwoo clears his suddenly dry throat, trying to think of something coherent to say.  Soonyoung holds the microphone for him, smiling, which calms him down a bit. “I’m sure Aaron’s told you all the details; but _No Words Needed_ has an incredible plot, it’ll move you to tears. I’m looking forward to seeing it on the big screen, the whole production team’s been working hard on this, and I’d like to congratulate everyone for a job well done, especially for our Mr Director here, Aaron.”

Shannon nods thoughtfully. “Well said, thank you.”

Soonyoung grins proudly at Wonwoo, who backs up a little, trying to hide behind his date, slightly uncomfortable with all the attention.

“I won’t keep you long here.” Shannon says, ending the interview - she’d gleaned enough information from them. “Really looking forward to the movie.”

The three of them thank Shannon, who immediately skips down the red carpet to speak the cast of the film. With no other distraction on the red carpet, they finally enter the safety of the building, where more guests are mingling in the foyer, waiting for entry into the theatre, since the premiere doesn’t start soon enough.

The interior décor is much, much more extravagant than the exterior of the building, an Soonyoung feels like he’d stepped back in time, back to the classical era; the piece de resistance being the huge chandelier hanging from the high ceiling of the foyer, illuminating the entire chamber with a yellowish glow. Tall pillars are lined by the sides of the room, with potted palms strategically placed in corners, the foliage adding a bit of colour contrast against the ivory walls and the pure white marbled floors, polished so well that Soonyoung could even see his own reflection in them. At the back of the room, there is a pair of carved mahogany doors that would lead into the iMax theatre equipped with surround sound, where the movie would be screened for the first time ever to the public. Waiters are circulating around the glamorously dressed crowd with trays of champagne and appetizers. Aaron stops one, and grabs three flutes for all of them, and Wonwoo downs his glass immediately; still slightly shaken by the impromptu interview.

“This your plus one, Wonwoo?” Aaron smiles at the video editor, nodding towards Soonyoung, who’s inspecting his glass of champagne, tapping the condensed glass.

Wonwoo nods, glancing over at his date, who takes a tentative sip from his glass – the bubbles pop on his tongue, a ticklish sensation that he likes. He wriggles his shoulders comically, savouring the smooth flavour, when he realises that Wonwoo and Aaron are looking at him.

“He’s very expressive.” Aaron remarks, as Wonwoo nods – he’d gotten a bit too familiar with that adorable trait over the past few weeks. Anytime Soonyoung eats something he enjoys, he does a little shoulder wiggle before he goes for seconds.

“Oh, I’m Soonyoung. Nice to meet you.” Soonyoung presents himself forward, formally introducing himself, and Aaron returns the sentiment.

The two of them immediately get absorbed into a conversation about Soonyoung’s vlog, while Wonwoo scans the crowd. He spots Chan and the rest of his team having fun in a corner, minding their own business; and a couple of famous faces being swarmed by a lot more famous faces in the middle of the room. The sheer number of people in the foyer makes Wonwoo feel claustrophobic, and he stands even closer to Soonyoung for some familiar reassurance. He balls his hands into fists so they don’t tremble, and he zones in onto Soonyoung’s ears, hoping to ignore his surroundings. Soonyoung’s going onto a tirade about something he’d encountered in Europe, and Aaron listens politely; both of them unaware of Wonwoo’s building anxiety.

“I’m gonna go around and mingle; say hello to everyone.” Aaron says, once he manages to interrupt Soonyoung’s never-ending anecdote about his adventures. “See you later, Wonwoo. And it was nice to meet you, Soonyoung. I’ll check out your vlog soon.” He shakes the vlogger’s hand, who pulls him into a sudden hug. Aaron’s surprised, but he returns the hug quickly, before turning to Wonwoo, who looks like death. 

“He’s a keeper.” Aaron whispers in Wonwoo’s ear; and with a friendly, encouraging pat on his back; the director disappears into the crowd. Wonwoo turns red almost immediately - barely half an hour of meeting Soonyoung, and suddenly Aaron’s telling him that he’s The One?

“Won-won, you okay?”

Wonwoo loosens his tie slightly. “Just a bit hot in here.” He’s overwhelmed by everything – the sheer number of people milling around in the foyer, the frenzy of flashbulbs from the cameras outside, and that little bit of info from Aaron...

Soonyoung quickly pulls Wonwoo into a corner, behind a tall pillar. “Breathe, Won-won, I’m here, it’s gonna be fine.”

“I’m fine, Soon.” Wonwoo exhales deeply, meeting Soonyoung’s concerned eyes.

Soonyoung doesn’t let go of Wonwoo’s trembling hands, clutching them tightly. “We could leave, if you want.” As much as he wants to see Wonwoo’s movie, Soonyoung prioritises Wonwoo’s well being - he doesn’t like seeing Wonwoo all anxious like this, and drags him into a tender hug.

Wonwoo hugs Soonyoung back, burying his face into Soonyoung’s shoulder; relishing in the warmth and reassurance of the touch. Everything else zones out - it’s only them and no one else in the room; and Soonyoung’s soothing whispers in his ear helps him relax.

He has to make it through this; and with Soonyoung by his side, it’s going to be just fine. It’s funny, how the normally chaotic Soonyoung could calm him down. Wonwoo pulls away with a small smile, grateful for Soonyoung’s presence. “Let’s go look for Chan.”

They slide out from behind the pillar – someone nearby gives them a knowing look -  and squeeze through the crowd towards the rest of the editing team at the farthest end of the room, most of whom are already drunk on champagne. Chan’s standing among the fringes of the group, squirming in his tux, which is slightly too big for him. He lights up when he sees Wonwoo and Soonyoung approaching, greeting them with a huge smile. Of course, everyone heartily welcomes Wonwoo, teasing him on his brief appearance on the iTrend red carpet livestream, and toasting him for a job well done on the movie.

Soonyoung hangs around with Chan as Wonwoo greets his fellow team members, who are unusually rowdy, in a major celebratory mood. He snaps up a whole tray of hors d'oeuvres from a passing waiter, trying to ease his hunger, sharing the food with Chan, who only nibbles on his share.

“It’s weird to see you without your camera, Soonyoung.” Chan comments, as he watches Soonyoung eat spring rolls, three at once. The intern is holding a glass of orange juice (being underage), sticking closely to Soonyoung, since everyone else is busy talking to Wonwoo.

“I know, right? It’s a nice change.” Soonyoung says with his mouth full. He doesn’t even remember where he put his camera, but he doesn’t care. This is a moment he wants to remember without seeing it behind camera lenses; and it seems better that way.

Suddenly, the grand mahogany doors to the theatre swing open, inviting the guests in for the premiere. Everyone starts filing into the darkened theatre, and Soonyoung manages to grab Wonwoo before he loses him in the crowd. The two of them plus Chan hang back for a bit, letting the surge of people drain from the foyer into the theatre, a buzz of anticipation in the air, which makes Wonwoo nervous again. But watching Soonyoung polish off a whole tray of appetisers, his cheeks full of food – reminiscent of a hamster – added with his silly shoulder wiggle, makes Wonwoo smile: he’d made the right decision bringing Soonyoung along for tonight.  

They three of them finally enter the theatre, which is a full house for the premiere. They manage to snag some seats somewhere near the back; with Wonwoo between Chan and Soonyoung, Soonyoung getting the aisle seat. There’s a slight chill in the theatre hall, and Wonwoo shivers as he takes his seat. Expectation lingers in the air, as everyone turns their focus onto the huge, flickering screen in front of them.  

This is a defining moment for Wonwoo. Would everyone love it or hate it? He’d worked as hard as the actors in the movies, going through all the raw footage for the films. All those meetings with Director Aaron that ended way past midnight, discussing the perfect angles and transitions that fit in with the director’s vision. All those hours, piecing each scene together so they melded perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle, telling a story to share to the world.

After working on something for so long, the least he needs is a pat on the back, saying he did a good job.

The movie starts right after; and Soonyoung’s entranced by the opening cinematography, which Wonwoo had painstakingly worked on the past week at the last minute with his team - the emergency that had tore him away from Soonyoung. Wonwoo, who’s practically familiar with the whole movie by now, settles on watching Soonyoung instead; even though the vlogger’s mochi features are barely visible in the darkness of the theater. Soonyoung’s smiling in awe, sitting at the edge of his seat as the movie flashes through the introductory scene onscreen.

Wonwoo glances towards Soonyoung’s hand, which is resting on the armest between them. He distinctly remembers the warmth of Soonyoung’s hand over his own - that one time when Wonwoo was editing Soonyoung’s vlog, back at the beach house in Malibu, and Soonyoung had grabbed the mouse when Wonwoo was still holding it.  

Just the memory of it makes Wonwoo smile. Maybe he could reach over and do the same this time, caressing Soonyoung’s soft skin, but he doesn’t, keeping his hands to himself instead.

He leans back in his seat, turning his focus back to the movie, but he’d rather observe Soonyoung watching the movie, which he already knows by heart, having spent almost every waking moment for the past year working on it. Sometimes Soonyoung leans over to whisper comments about the movie into Wonwoo’s ear, who simply nods and smiles. Soonyoung notices all the subtle little details in the film, providing a new perspective that makes Wonwoo reevaluate the direction of the story.  

“I wish there was popcorn.” Soonyoung mutters, and his stomach growls, even though he’d eated a few trays of appetisers earlier, but his tummy is practically a black hole – all of them gone in an instant, barely filling.

Guilt washes over Wonwoo - maybe skipping dinner had been a really bad idea. But Wonwoo has another bad idea to counteract that: two bad ideas would negate each other and result in something positive, won’t it?

“Wanna get out of here and look for food?” Wonwoo leans closer to whisper in Soonyoung’s ear.

Soonyoung shakes his head fervently, trying to dismiss the thought of food. He keeps his eyes on screen, conscious of Wonwoo’s proximity. “It’s fine.”

But there’s another rumble from his traitorous stomach. This time, the people in the row directly in front of them turn to look, and Soonyoung shrinks in his seat in embarrassment.

“C’mon. Let’s get out of here.” Wonwoo starts to get out of his chair, pulling Soonyoung up to his feet.  

Soonyoung hesitates, and the commotion they’re making starts to attract attention from other people surrounding them. “Are you sure?”

“I don’t want you to starve to death.” Wonwoo says urgently, shooing Soonyoung out of his seat. He barely spares a glance back at Chan, who has a worried and confused expression – which is slightly visible in the lowlight - before he stumbles his way in the dark towards the exit, keeping a firm grasp on Soonyoung’s wrist.

“What about the movie?” Soonyoung asks, when they’re back in the well-lit foyer as Wonwoo blinks his eyes, trying to get used to the sudden brightness. The foyer looks even bigger now that it’s devoid of people, apart from security, who stand stoically in strategic posts in the area.

“I’ve got the editor’s cut. Better than whatever they’re gonna show to the world.” Wonwoo says. In fact, he’s still got weeks´ worth of raw footage in his hard drive at home. “So what do you want for dinner?”

Soonyoung holds his tummy. “I’d eat my own hand at this point.”

Wonwoo’s brain conjures up an idea, and he takes Soonyoung’s hand again, which is soft between his own bony fingers. “Let’s go.”

Twenty minutes later, they find themselves in a burger joint, enjoying freshly made burgers and fries – the last place they’d find themselves at that night, all dressed up. It’s not an expensive steak dish at a high-end restaurant, but this choice is even better. There’s barely anyone in the shop, and the teen behind the cash register thinks they’re on a date since they’re both dressed up nicely, so they’re given extra packets of ketchup, and a cosy booth tucked at the back of the restaurant.

Wonwoo feels a bit shy because Soonyoung’s giving all his attention towards him, making lame jokes and stealing his animal fries and laughing with his mouth full of food. Usually the vlogger would be fussing with his camera, trying to get the perfect angle; but tonight, it’s only them. He smiles fondly at Soonyoung’s antics, keeping these memories in his own mind; but he knows, he’s never going to forget them anytime soon.  

“Do you think fries would taste good with milkshakes?” Soonyoung’s asking, and he immediately does it, dipping a French fry into his chocolate beverage, popping it into his mouth. He chews slowly, savouring the taste, his face all scrunched up in concentration.

“Bit soggy, but interesting taste. Try it.” Soonyoung leans over and feeds Wonwoo a milkshake-dipped French fry.

The mix of the salty and sweet flavours doesn’t sit well with Wonwoo - he prefers them separated - but he grins through it and snickers when Soonyoung suddenly puts two fries into his mouth, trying to imitate a walrus. He claps his hands like a seal, making whale noises; and Wonwoo can’t help but laugh at Soonyoung’s silliness. Acting on impulse, Wonwoo pulls his phone out of his pocket and snaps a couple of quick photos of walrus Soonyoung.

The vlogger turns red when he realises what Wonwoo’s doing, and he quickly eats the fries in his mouth, hanging his head down in embarrassment.

Wonwoo smirks to himself as he looks back at the photos he’d just taken, setting his favourite as his home screen. “Don’t worry, Soon. You look cute.” The picture practically screams Soonyoung: his eyes crinkling into tiny little slits, mochi cheeks all puffed out, with two pieces of fries of unequal length popping out of his mouth, substitutes for long walrus tusks. He looks like an excited child, so carefree and silly and adorable and Wonwoo smiles again at the photo before he flicks his gaze to Soonyoung sitting across him, who’s now choking on his food.  

Soonyoung’s flustered at the sudden compliment, gulping down some of his milkshake to dislodge the fries in his throat that he’d swallowed whole. Wonwoo’s leaning back comfortably in his seat; staring with that intense gaze, and it makes Soonyoung feel warm. It’s not the first time he feels shy in front of Wonwoo tonight, and hearing such a compliment makes him feel extra special.

Soonyoung smiles at Wonwoo, who returns it warmly – wait, are those actual hearts in his eyes?

Things are certainly taking an interesting turn…

Wonwoo lets out a little sigh, thanking his lucky stars that led him to meet Soonyoung. Sure, he’d found the guy slightly irritating at first – his energy was just too hard to keep up with – but after spending more time together, Wonwoo easily adapts to Soonyoung’s pace, enjoying the same lame puns and sweet ballads and good food together. It wasn’t difficult to like Soonyoung – how could a person hate him, with his cheery personality and carefree laughter and a smile as bright as the sun? Wonwoo had never met anyone like him before, and he smiles fondly as Soonyoung dips another fry in his milkshake and does his quirky shoulder wave as he munches his food happily.

Being here with Soonyoung’s much better than at the premiere, watching fiction unfold onscreen - this is real life: they’re just Soonyoung and Wonwoo, two guys in suits enjoying a late dinner at a fast food chain. Just them, and no one else, apart from the bored teen snoozing behind the counter. Some music is playing on the stereo at a low volume; the singer passionately singing about [running away with their lover, leaving real life behind](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1X7YLJBtLk). 

Wonwoo starts hyperanalysing the lyrics – getting lost in his thoughts for a while. For a second, he thinks he’d drop everything just to be with Soonyoung, but if he has to be realistic, he’s got to stay grounded so he can reach his goals of moving to New York City to become a renowned cinematographer.

It’s all so paradoxical – Soonyoung’s a real person, yet somehow Wonwoo’s mind likened him to be somewhat like a dream, so surreal. He’s too good to be true, easily integrating into Wonwoo’s life, becoming a light in the darkness, and a rock to lean on when he needs it.

Wonwoo’s always known life to be high-strung, full of deadlines and caffeine, sleepless nights and worries; and all of it exacerbated when he moved to Los Angeles. But when he’s with Soonyoung, his worries dissipated, life becomes much more bearable with weird jokes and squishy hugs and just Soonyoung in general – the huge contrast makes Wonwoo disassociate times when he’s at work, and times when he’s with Soonyoung. 

More than once, he imagines running away from his life with Soonyoung, just to escape all the stress, but that would mean he’ll have to give up his ambition to excel in film…

Would a relationship with Soonyoung be unattainable in his life? It seems like a fantasy to Wonwoo, and he’s scared of waking up to find himself alone, without Soonyoung.

But Soonyoung’s real, sitting here right in front of him, going off on a tangent about potatoes as he finishes his fries, stealing some from Wonwoo, too.

Of course, he toys with the idea of a perfect world where he could have it all – his name appearing in huge bold letters as cinematographer for a renowned movie franchise, with Soonyoung by his side, who’s as equally as successful with his travel vlogs and recommendations.

Wonwoo shakes off his thoughts, and pays attention to Soonyoung’s odd anecdotes, adding in his own little comments at intervals, thinking just how adorable Soonyoung is when he’s excited about something.

He’d prefer to live in the present, rather than worrying about the future. He drinks in all of Soonyoung’s presence, relishing it all, determined to make this happiness last.  

They spend a while in the burger joint, until the staff has to chase them out at closing time. Soonyoung offers to help them clean up, but they get shooed out of the place by the teen who’d served them earlier. The kid tells them to continue their date elsewhere, which Soonyoung loudly fake-laughs at, but he stops when Wonwoo easily reaches out for his hand so they can walk back to the car together.

“I don’t think Chan’s back from the premiere.” Wonwoo checks the time on his phone, when they finally settle in Wonwoo’s car. They’d left the movie barely halfway through, and it should still be playing, based on Wonwoo’s estimation. There’s another hour or so to kill before they head over to Chan’s place to crash for the night.

“What should we do?” Wonwoo ignites the engine, pulling away from the burger joint. The street is almost empty, and a few vehicles pass by as Wonwoo navigates the car to the main road.

Soonyoung shrugs, and turns up the volume on the radio, which starts playing sappy love songs. They drive around LA for a bit, singing along with the radio, and Soonyoung occasionally pointing out something that he finds interesting outside the window. Wonwoo drives aimlessly, letting Soonyoung navigate randomly – a unique way of exploring the neighbourhoods. It’s a relaxing late night drive with good company, the madness of the movie premiere from earlier that evening forgotten. Los Angeles is strangely quiet – maybe it’s late, or maybe they’re lost somewhere in the suburbs; Wonwoo hadn’t been paying attention to where they’re going, depending solely on Soonyoung. They’re up in the hills, where the roads are twisted, and several large security gates guarding hidden mansions appear at odd intervals – neither Wonwoo nor Soonyoung has ever been to this part of town. A supercar zooms past them with an almighty roar, and Wonwoo pulls by the roadside, looking at Soonyoung sitting by his side.

“Soon, I think we’re lost.” Wonwoo says with a sheepish grin, to which Soonyoung simply laughs. There’s nothing to worry about; it’s unspoken between them – everything’s going to be alright, since they’re together.

Once Wonwoo finds his bearings with Soonyoung’s help, he finally drives toward Chan’s neighbourhood, located in the quieter parts of the city. It’s quite late by now, and there are barely any people or cars around. Wonwoo parks his car right in front of Chan’s building, lucky enough to find a parking spot. He’s not sure if Chan’s home yet, so he pulls his phone out of his pocket to call the intern.

“I want a slushie.” Soonyoung mumbles, eyeing the brightly lit 24-hour convenience store located across the road.

Wonwoo nods, putting his phone away – Chan can wait. Anything Soonyoung wants would be a priority.  

They run across the road to buy their coloured frozen drinks, bickering playfully over the limited choice of flavours. Soonyoung ends up getting a red slushie, while Wonwoo settles for blue. They sit on the pavement right outside Chan’s building, giggling as they drink their slushies. Whenever Soonyoung cracks a lame joke, Wonwoo’s guffaws echoes down the quiet street, and he scrunches his nose adorably in amusement.

Soonyoung likes it when he does that, and he reaches out to boop Wonwoo’s nose with his finger. The sudden gesture makes Wonwoo’s nose feel ticklish, and he scrunches it again, making Soonyoung smile fondly at him.  

“Your mouth’s blue.” Soonyoung remarks, giggling.

“Yours is red.”

Soonyoung crushes the coloured ice in his cup with his straw, which bends distortedly. “Wanna make purple?”

Why did that sound like a bad pick-up line? But the timing’s smooth, even Wonwoo’s caught off-guard. His gaze flicks over to Soonyoung’s red stained lips, and he leans in closer, fluttering his eyes shut –

But Soonyoung grabs Wonwoo’s slushie cup and dumps half of the blue coloured ice from it into his own cup, mixing them as best as his could with his bent straw. The red and blue food colouring mix turns the slushie purple eventually, and Soonyoung grins widely at Wonwoo at his little achievement.

That certainly wasn’t what Wonwoo had in mind when Soonyoung said he wanted to make purple. _Oh, Soonyoung, you adorable, clueless little creature._

Wonwoo smiles fondly at Soonyoung, who’s now fussing about the odd shade of purple in his cup – it’s a bit more reddish; so he dumps the entire contents from Wonwoo’s cup into his own to balance out the colour.

“Purple!” Soonyoung says proudly, holding the cup up when he’s done mashing the ice, which is all melted by now.

Wonwoo grabs his straw from his empty cup and inserts it into Soonyoung’s cup, which is now filled with melted purple ice. “Since you took my slushie, I hope you don’t mind sharing.” He sips slowly, letting the coloured ice melt on his tongue, staining it purple. The sweetness of the concoction awakens his tastebuds, but it’s now slightly diluted after mixing the two melted slushies together.

“Not if I finish it all first!” Soonyoung hurriedly gulps down the coloured ice from his own straw greedily, his cheeks hollowing in from the suction. Wonwoo tries to wrestle the plastic cup away, but Soonyoung has a surprisingly strong grip, but he suddenly lets it go and doubles over.   

Soonyoung’s clutching his head, his expression pained. “Brain freeze.”  

Wonwoo calmly puts the slushie cup aside and holds Soonyoung’s hand. He’s got an idea to curb the pain, which can apparently be countered by warmth. Would sticking his tongue into Soonyoung’s mouth to cure his brain freeze be socially acceptable? It wouldn’t be right, taking advantage of a weakened Soonyoung, no matter how much he wants it himself.

Soonyoung’s clearly in pain, but all Wonwoo wants to do is kiss him. Bad Wonwoo.

“My brain is cold.” Soonyoung moans.

“Wait it out, then. It’ll go away soon.”

A car pulls up by the roadside with a honk, and Chan emerges from it, looking all flustered when he sees Soonyoung and Wonwoo sitting on the sidewalk in their fancy suits, a slushie cup sitting between them.

“Sorry I’m late!” The young intern hurries over to the pair, and he looks scared when he sees Soonyoung’s face distorted with pain. “What’s wrong? Is he okay?”

“Just a brain freeze, Chan, don’t worry.” Wonwoo says, gently caressing Soonyoung’s hand.

Even with his brain freeze, Soonyoung has to be dramatic, claiming that his brain would be cryopreserved for generations to come; and he’s leaving his camera for Jihoon in his will. Wonwoo stifles a laugh at how ridiculous Soonyoung can be, but poor Chan still looks terrified, as if Soonyoung would recite his last will and testaments if they stay any longer outside.

“C’mon, let’s get inside.” Chan says, already searching for his keys. “I’ll make coffee.”

“Can’t drink coffee this late at night. Won’t sleep.” Soonyoung mumbles, getting up to his feet with Wonwoo’s help.

“I have tea.” Chan adds helpfully.  

Wonwoo hurries over to his car to retrieve their overnight bags before the three of them enter the building; both Chan and Wonwoo supporting Soonyoung as they ascend the stairs.

Chan’s place is practically a shoebox on the topmost floor, and it can barely fit three people. Soonyoung immediately dives into the fold-out sofa bed that takes up almost half of the tiny room. Wonwoo has to bend down because of the slanted ceiling, while Chan’s apologising profusely for the lack of space as he tinkers around in his kitchenette, putting some water to boil to make warm beverages.

“You okay, Soon?” Wonwoo takes his jacket off, draping it over the armrest of the couch.

Soonyoung smiles, the pain already subsiding. “Better. I thought I was gonna be brainless.”

“Glad you’re still alive.” Wonwoo pats Soonyoung’s head gently. “I’m gonna go wash up.” He pulls his tie off, before asking Chan to direct him to the bathroom, which is just about small enough for one person to stand in it.  

Soonyoung floats over to Chan when Wonwoo disappears into the restroom, asking him about the movie, just to start a conversation.

Chan doesn’t reveal any spoilers about the movie, simply skimming over the important parts; telling Soonyoung to watch the movie himself. He’d been worried sick when Wonwoo and Soonyoung had left in the middle of the film without telling him; and he’d barely paid attention to the film from that point onwards.  As they wait for the kettle to boil, Soonyoung turns the focus of the conversation onto Chan, practically interviewing him for the nitty-gritty details about his life, from kindergarten up to his foray in interning at a movie studio.

“I’ll be off to college in the fall.” Chan states, as he gently drops a teabag into a mug for Soonyoung.

“Nice to have some work experience, huh.” Soonyoung himself had never worked a day in his life – at least, not the conventional nine-to-five work hours everyone else had; he supposes that vlogging is his life’s work now, being his own boss. “So. How’s Won-won as a boss?”

“He’s really good.” Chan says. This isn’t the first time Soonyoung’s asked about Wonwoo to him; and Soonyoung continues with long-winded questions about Wonwoo that Chan can’t even begin to answer. There’s a silly grin on Soonyoung’s face as he listens to Chan describing his boss in minimal words as he could.

“He’s nice. And he buys food for the whole team, sometimes.”

“Go on.”

“He’s…tall?” Chan doesn’t know what else to say – he doesn’t really know Wonwoo personally; since Wonwoo is an extremely private person, so it came as a surprise to him when Wonwoo asked him if he could ‘stay over with a friend after the premiere’. Chan’s happy to accommodate despite the tiny room, almost knowing that Wonwoo’s ‘friend’ would be Soonyoung, and hell yes, he’s absolutely right.  

The intern racks his brain for more anecdotes about his boss. “Oh, and he says that my dinosaur figurines are cool.”

“Mmm hmm.” Soonyoung’s cupping his chin in his hands, starry-eyed, listening to Chan attentively – it’s nice hearing someone else sharing the same thoughts about Wonwoo, who’s definitely the nicest guy Soonyoung has ever met.

Chan shrugs, trying to escape the conversation, except that Wonwoo’s still ensconced in the bathroom, so he’s stuck with Soonyoung. “He’s a pretty chill guy, I suppose.”

The bathroom door creaks open, and Soonyoung swivels his head like a meerkat towards the sound, immediately distracted from his conversation with Chan. He practically turns beet red when Wonwoo emerges from the bathroom like a model in his sleepwear; which is a comfortable old shirt and boxer shorts. The lanky man joins them in the cramped kitchenette; Soonyoung and Wonwoo practically pressed up against each other in the tiny space, as Chan serves them hot beverages in disposable plastic cups.

Even in his own home, Chan feels like he’s thirdwheeling as the three of them lounge around in the small room, sipping warm tea. Soonyoung and Wonwoo are practically flirting right in front of him - Wonwoo even has this fond smile that Chan’s never seen before, reserved only for Soonyoung, especially when he cracks lame puns that makes Chan want to smack his head onto the thin walls.

Later, they hog the bathroom, brushing their teeth together, splashing each other with cold water from the tap playfully, almost forgetting about their host, who’s patiently waiting outside the bathroom door with his own towel for his turn to shower. Chan feels like he’s watching a real-life montage of two people falling in love like in Those Romantic Movies – he’s just a bystander, almost invisible to Soonyoung and Wonwoo, who are trapped in their own little love bubble. 

The couple claim the fold-out sofa bed (the best investment Chan’s ever made), while Chan curls up in his rickety twin bed in the corner of the room. He’s thinking whether he should sleep in the hallway so he doesn’t bother them, but that would be downright miserable, since he’s the host. He clutches his stuffed dinosaur tighter, trying to fall asleep as soon as possible, listening to Soonyoung’s giggles while Wonwoo whispers to him about who knows what.

Love is beautiful, if you’re part of the couple, and not an awkward third-wheeler.

As long as they don’t Woo-Hoo three feet away from him, Chan’s fine. But still, he knows it’s going to be a long, long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> side songs inserted in this chapter:  
> [ missed connections: ost for the great seducer by seventeen dk (support our boy!!) ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icLQIE4cOSA)
> 
> [ runaways by all time low ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1X7YLJBtLk)
> 
> give a kudos/comment/tell me what you think ehehehe :)   
> oh and a little heads up: jicheol in the next chapter ;)


	29. i like you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from: [ i like you - day 6 ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daoMYJv8i0c)  
> may contain mistakes, and for that, I deeply apologise

Sunlight is streaming through the windows between the thin curtains, leaving a golden glow in the living room; hinting the beginning of a new day. Seungcheol slowly cracks his eyes open, and his arm feels dead, detached from his body; like it had been weighed down by something -  or rather, someone – all night. Soft pink hair smelling vaguely of jasmines tickles his chin, and he nuzzles his nose into it, getting drunk off the sweet, familiar scent. Nestled in his arms, his head leaning against Seungcheol’s chest, snoring lightly, is Jihoon, who’s still fast asleep with his lips slightly parted; his pretty hands clutching Seungcheol’s shirt tightly even in his slumber. The surfer’s barely awake, but it’s already a good morning for him. He wouldn’t mind waking up to this view for the rest of his life, all warm and comfortable cuddled up with the person he likes the most in the whole wide world…even if it means his limbs would feel numb for the rest of the morning. He lets out a little happy sigh, smiling to himself as he holds Jihoon even tighter, not planning to let him go anytime soon.

They’d fallen asleep together on the couch last night, after staying up late, watching some old Japanese animated movie that Jihoon claimed had been a huge part of his childhood. Wide eyed and excited, they’d settled into the fast-paced plot; a magical adventure full of laughter and tears that vaguely reminded Seungcheol of his eight-year-old self, sitting in front of the television every Saturday morning, waiting for his favourite cartoon to begin.

Instead of the movie, Seungcheol had spent about half of the movie watching Jihoon, smiling fondly when the pink-haired man exclaimed excitedly as recognised the songs on the soundtrack, singing them enthusiastically with his beautiful voice that sent fluttery tingles down to Seungcheol’s toes.

Seungcheol doesn’t remember when he fell asleep last night cuddling Jihoon; but they’d been talking about their lives and their thoughts and dreams, long after the movie had ended.

_“So you’re here on vacation...why LA?” They were sitting on the couch, a considerable distance from each other; when Seungcheol asked the question out of nowhere._

_Jihoon smiled. “Soonie was here, and he invited me out. Needed a break from work.” Jihoon started telling Seungcheol about his dreary accounting job, and the surfer listened intently to Jihoon’s rants about work and some guy named Mingyu from Human Resources. Seungcheol got the picture that Jihoon didn’t particularly like his job, and it didn’t sound very enjoyable, as well - the idea of sitting at a desk balancing accounts all day gave Seungcheol back pain._

_To cut his long story short, Jihoon was simply doing it because he was good at it, and it paid well._

_“Wow.” Seungcheol said. He couldn’t imagine Jihoon in a suit, crunching numbers eight hours a day, at least not with his adorable strawberry hair. He’d pinned Jihoon as one of those artistic types, collecting records and listening to just about all kinds of music with expensive bass-boosted chunky headphones, writing poetic lyrics to match with the beautiful melodies he’d created._

_“I found my job a bit...dull, and I wanted an escape from all of it.” Jihoon let out a sigh._

_“Well, I’m glad you came here. Seungcheol moved closer towards Jihoon, resting a hand on Jihoon’s knee, squeezing it in reassurance._

_“Yeah.” Jihoon fiddled with the hem of his shirt, mentally drained after pouring out his bottled-up worries. He felt lighter, like a burden had been taken off his chest. He hadn’t thought about his boring job this much since he arrived in Los Angeles._

_He’d always kept it to himself, how much he hated his job, fearing that admitting it out loud might just become solid proof that he’d made a mistake in choosing his career path. Sure, he made enough to survive in Seoul, but he never found the same passion in counting other people’s money as he did with music - always feeling like a soulless computer, analysing confusing numbers for a lifetime._

_Maybe this had been what he needed all along - a talk with someone he trusted; though it wouldn’t fix things immediately, at least admitting it was a stepping stone towards better things. Jihoon bit his lip, wondering if Seungcheol might judge him from his life choices._

_“To be honest, life never goes the way we plan it to, I guess. I came here to pursue acting, but I never got my big break...look at me, I’m just a surf instructor, and I have massive student loans to pay…” Seungcheol leaned back in his seat, staring at the wall._

_“At least you like surfing.”_

_“I suppose I’m getting comfortable with it. It doesn’t really pay much, but it’s nice to just chill and catch a wave whenever I want.” Seungcheol turned to Jihoon. “You know that saying: choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life?”_

_Sounded like someone he knew, trotting around the world with a camera pressed to his face, wearing a perpetual smile - “I think you just described Soonie.”_

_“Exactly.” Seungcheol grinned._

_No one said anything for a while, until Seungcheol piped up with a question._

_“You dislike that job, don’t you?”_

_Jihoon kept quiet, though his counter argument (it pays well!) was already at the tip of his tongue. Someone - Seungcheol - had finally laid it out there; the deep dissent he had for his job, the hard truth. It was making him miserable, and the idea of going back to it made him feel nauseous._

_Sure, he did well counting other people’s money. But he hated the dissatisfaction he felt every time he finished work, the dreaded feeling that he wasn’t doing enough with his life. It seemed like a dead end for him, hindering his dreams of pursuing music, his true love._

_He mulled over Seungcheol’s earlier words.  Soonyoung definitely had fun skipping around the globe with his video camera, carefree. And Seungcheol seemed to be comfortable being a surf bum, despite making less than what he needed to survive. What they had in common was happiness, something that Jihoon wanted too, and he knew for sure that he was never going to find it in his dead-end accounting job._

_There was one sure thing that guaranteed him freedom and happiness, and that was music._

_Whether it was one instrument and four simple chords, or a whole orchestra that needed precise composition for a perfect blend of harmonisation between so many complex instruments - everything about music entranced him._

_He remembered being fourteen years old, young and starry-eyed, writing his first song on the piano. The euphoria he’d felt when he’d finished writing his composition; an entirely new high that lifted him up to the stratosphere, making him feel like he owned the world. The relief he’d finished something he started, and the emotional baggage he’d released in the form of song._

_A brand new mixture of feelings that he’d only felt once in his life - the happiest he’d ever been._

_He’d never expected to feel it once again when he’d sung the same song for Seungcheol recently, boldly wearing his heart on his sleeve, expressing his emotions through music - the only way he knew how to do it._

_And writing a whole new song after his hiatus, for a special someone who made his heart soar, who made him feel a million different things - that was how powerful music was, evoking new emotions he’d never really bothered to explore before._

_Jihoon looked at Seungcheol, wondering how a person could reignite the fire he used to have for music, which was now burning brighter than ever - his musical inspiration spilling over into his imagination, songs singing in his head, waiting to be heard by the world._

_Finding out that someone else had the same joy he had with music made him even happier, and there was this tiny little voice in this head that kept saying - music makes you happy; music IS your life._

_But would he dare trade money for happiness? After all, money doesn’t buy happiness, but hey, you need money to function in the world - Soonyoung didn’t travel the world for free, lucky boy had access to his whole trust fund when he turned twenty; and that’s what he’d been spending on his travels. Soonyoung didn’t make money travelling and vlogging, but he’s having the time of his life doing both._

_“Well, I can see you really love music. Your songs are amazing.”_

_Jihoon could only smile at Seungcheol’s praise; but his mind was preoccupied elsewhere._

_It would take great courage for him to leave his job to pursue music. A foray into murky waters, that held its own risks - the music business was a different ball game altogether. Music on its own was beautiful; but business was the factor that could make or break an artist in the industry._

_That would be a bridge he’ll cross when he gets to it - there was no use of worrying himself to death right now._

_“Hey. You look tired.” Seungcheol opened his arms wide, as if inviting Jihoon to come closer. “Cuddle?”_

_Jihoon easily moved towards Seungcheol, snuggling into the surfer’s arms as if he belonged there. His anxiety for the future washed away as he focused on the present instead, breathing in Seungcheol’s familiar scent that reminded him of the beach._

_Safe, warm and secure. There was nothing for Jihoon to worry about._

_At least for now._

Seungcheol moves slightly to get a better view of Jihoon’s angelic sleeping face. He looks younger, peaceful; and a fond smile automatically appears on Seungcheol’s lips.

Seungcheol’s scared to move, just in case he wakes Jihoon up, so he takes his time memorising Jihoon’s sleeping features into his brain, reaching out to trace the outline of Jihoon’s jaw with his finger. Without really thinking, Seungcheol nudges Jihoon’s chin up gently for a better angle to appreciate his existence.

Seungcheol leans down and gently kisses Jihoon’s pink hair, letting his lips linger as he breathes in the faint jasmine scent.  Jihoon doesn’t even flinch at the touch, so he does it again. And again. And again, peppering kisses on Jihoon’s face, moving ever so slightly, and slowly inching towards his little rosebud lips, until the pink-haired angel opens his eyes sleepily, blinking at Seungcheol in confusion.

“Good morning.” Seungcheol mumbles, planting one more gentle kiss on Jihoon’s cheek.

A slow smile spreads over Jihoon’s face, and he snuggles even more against Seungcheol’s shirt when he hears the surfer’s deep morning voice. The tips of his ears turn as pink as his hair - this is one good morning he never wants to forget.

It’s still early, barely 8AM, but Seungcheol’s got his weekly swimming class down at the public pool later, teaching toddlers how to swim under the scrutiny of their mothers. Seungcheol’s got half a mind to cancel and stay in with Jihoon all day, lazing around on the couch doing nothing. Teaching small kids swimming isn’t the easiest thing to do, and it’s the last thing on his mind right now.

But he’s never one to shirk his responsibilities, and his class (and their parents) would be waiting for him - these lessons are his bread and butter - the only income he’ll make for the time being. Even so, it’s not about the money, because Seungcheol hates letting people down, so he steels himself and convinces himself that he’ll be able to spend more time with Jihoon later that day.

Seungcheol slowly extricates himself from Jihoon’s clutches, but Jihoon growls in dissatisfaction when Seungcheol moves a muscle, so the surfer relaxes back into his initial position, with Jihoon’s pink head resting against his chest. Jihoon looks like he’s going back to sleep again, and it breaks Seungcheol’s heart a little to leave him alone for the day.

But if he gets paid enough this time, maybe he could take Jihoon out on a date somewhere. The thought comforts him - there’s never enough time to spend together with Jihoon, finding out all his little quirks and getting used to them. He tries to imagine the smile on Jihoon’s face - complete with his cute eye smile - when he presents Jihoon with the biggest buffet spread this side of the West Coast: Jihoon sure eats a lot for such a small person.

So for Jihoon, he’s got to go to work.

A few more minutes of cuddling won’t hurt, though, so he sits there, gently stroking Jihoon’s strawberry hair. Minutes tick by quickly, and Seungcheol regrets that he doesn’t have enough time to spend with Jihoon even though he stayed overnight. 

“Jihoonie, I’ve got to go.” Seungcheol whispers.

“Nooooooo.” Jihoon snuffles into Seungcheol’s chest, clinging onto him tightly.

“I’ve got a swimming lesson to teach after this, and I need to swing back to my place to grab a few things.” Seungcheol doesn’t mention that the ‘things’ he needs are the brightly coloured floaties he’d tried to make Jihoon use the first time he taught him how to swim - he’s still miffed that Jihoon didn’t like the donut floatie that he thinks that Jihoon would look absolutely adorable wearing.

(He makes a mental note to enlist Soonyoung’s help to stuff Jihoon in that particular donut floatie sometime so that all his wildest dreams come true.)

Jihoon releases Seungcheol from his embrace, who gives him an apologetic smile. Running his fingers through his tangled pink hair, he leans back onto the couch as he lets out a yawn, watching Seungcheol collect his belongings.

He absently checks his own phone, just in case Soonyoung’s called or messaged him, but his inbox is unusually empty. Seungcheol is preparing to leave, and Jihoon watches him, feeling a pang in his chest that he’s going to be alone for the rest of the day; or at least, until Seungcheol finishes his lesson.

It’s weird how he’d grown onto Seungcheol’s company - now being alone seems alien to him, the accompanying silence keeping him on edge. Jihoon follows Seungcheol to the front door to see him off; and the surfer looks like he’s in a hurry...

“Can I come over to the pool? It’s not like I have anything to do.” Jihoon blurted out, toying with the hem of his crumpled T-shirt.

Seungcheol pauses at the doorway, mulling the idea over.

“Maybe I could try swimming again.” Jihoon takes a step closer towards Seungcheol, feeling desperate.

“Sounds like a good idea.” Seungcheol nods and smiles that adorable gummy smile that practically makes Jihoon melt to the floor.

Jihoon visibly brightens up, his adorable smile matching his strawberry hair for a youthful image that Seungcheol can’t shake off his mind. “So I’ll see you later?”

“Definitely. I’ll send you the location of the public pool. It’s not that far, anyway.” The surfer’s smiling as equally wide, tapping on his phone.

Jihoon’s cell bleeps with a new message - Seungcheol’s already forwarded the location of the public swimming pool. They stand in the hallway awkwardly for a few seconds, waiting for the other to initiate some kind of farewell gesture, but Seungcheol simply disappears out of the door with a quick wink and an easy smile, making Jihoon wonder how could someone possibly look that good when they’d just woken up.

Once the door slams shut, Jihoon meets his reflection in the hallway mirror, and his hair looks terrifying, sticking out in all directions. It’s a miracle that Seungcheol didn’t run off screaming seeing him like this. A bit of regret washes over him in retrospect, wishing that he’d given Seungcheol a hug or something when he left. The house feels empty without anyone else around, and he drags himself back to the living room, flipping the television on for some background noise he doesn’t feel lonely.

Looking back at Seungcheol’s text, Jihoon’s heart leaps at the prospect of seeing the surfer again. He replays the memory of Seungcheol waking him up with good morning kisses as he flops back onto the couch. Jihoon smashes his face into a cushion in embarrassment, because it wasn’t part of his wet dreams; Seungcheol actually did **that** in real life.

He takes his time to prepare, not wanting to appear to enthusiastic or desperate; even taking time to comb his unruly hair into something remotely presentable. Then he sits down, debating with himself if a shower before a swim would be counterproductive, since he hasn’t had a bath since yesterday. (He decides to have one, anyway, dawdling; peeking at the clock too many times to make sure that he’s fashionably late but not too late to turn Seungcheol off.) Then he takes some time to slather about half a bottle of sunscreen onto his precious skin, hoping to avoid sunburn again. 

It’s a while before Jihoon leaves home for the town pool; butterflies fluttering around in his tummy, nervous to enter the water again, and nervous to see Seungcheol in his element. With kids.

Emphasis on that last phrase.

**With kids.**

It’s a beautiful day for a walk, though Jihoon would’ve preferred to stay indoors rather than roasting himself under the hot sun; but his will to see Seungcheol is stronger than anything else, and he hums as he follows the directions to the public pool, immersing himself in his surroundings.

The palm trees lining the boulevard look picturesque against the azure sky, and Jihoon pauses to snap a photograph. Is it just him or is today extra beautiful? 

Jihoon arrives at the public pool to find Seungcheol in the middle of his swimming lesson for toddlers. It’s chaos, really - what else can you expect when you put about five kids together by a swimming pool? Three boys are playing tag by the poolside, ignoring Seungcheol, their swim instructor; who’s too focused on teaching a young girl with pigtails in the pool. He’s trying to get her used to the buoyancy of the water, too occupied to yell at the three rowdy boys running by the pool (Jihoon wouldn’t mind if one of them falls in, but that would surely invite a lot more hassle especially on Seungcheol’s side as their instructor.) Meanwhile, another boy is crying loudly, reluctant to get into the pool, while his mother tries to persuade him with some toys.

The whole scene reminds Jihoon of his childhood - that summer when he’d signed up for swimming lessons with Soonyoung, when they were both ten years old. He’d been the slowest kid to progress. Everyone else including Soonyoung, were already swimming pros, within three lessons, while he stood awkwardly by the poolside with his little kickboard, too frightened to enter.

Ten-year-old Jihoon didn’t appreciate the need for swimming, since he’d already planted the idea of never going to the beach in his stubborn little mind, so he thought there was no need for him to learn how to swim. He never had the motivation, even under his former swimming coach’s patient guidance; and encouragement from his grandmother and Soonyoung.

At least now there’s a cute guy to motivate him to swim, which is even better.

A bunch of bikini moms are lounging around with their mimosas by the pool, trying to look as glamorous as possible on cheap sun loungers like they’re a bunch of desperate housewives vying for attention from their kids’ undeniably hot swim instructor. As Jihoon passes by them, he overhears Seungcheol’s name being uttered by the gossiping mums. Of course, who can resist the shirtless surfer patiently handling kids, teaching them how to swim? Seungcheol’s oblivious to it all, encouraging the girl he’s teaching patiently, as she splashes around in the water with a happy smile.

Jihoon picks out a shaded lounge chair, away from the bikini moms, unsure if Seungcheol’s aware of his presence. He sits there alone, feeling awkward, thinking that the bikini moms are probably talking about him, since he’s the odd one out at the pool - he doesn’t have a kid to send to the swimming lesson. In fact, he looks young enough to be a kid to join Seungcheol’s class, and he laughs at himself because that’s the exact reason he’s here. He settles back, ignoring the desperate housewives and turns his attention to Seungcheol instead.

Seungcheol seems to be pretty good at handling kids, and it makes Jihoon’s heart flutter a little - no wonder those bikini moms are fawning over him.

The way Seungcheol smiles brightly when the girl successfully swims a few strokes away, splashing around happily in her unicorn floatie that looks vaguely familiar - it’s one of the outrageous kiddie floaties that Seungcheol had brought for Jihoon for his initial swimming lesson back at Joshua’s family mansion, a memory which feels like a lifetime away, even though it had only been mere weeks.

Everyone who’s watching Seungcheol lets out a swooning sigh collectively, Jihoon included. Why does it seem like everything Seungcheol does is heart fluttering?

Seungcheol calls the three boys playing tag by the poolside to join the lesson, and each of them cannonball into the pool, laughing. Clearly the boys are much advanced than the pigtailed girl - who’s swimming around in her unicorn floatie - the boys are freely flipping around in the pool, confident in the water. Seungcheol immediately sets a race for them, and the boys lap around the pool as fast as they can, splashing water everywhere.

As for the crying boy by the poolside, Seungcheol baits him in with an inflatable ball and a neon green floatie over by the shallow side of the pool. The boy’s mother gazes at Seungcheol in adoration as he placates the boy, easing him to get used to the water. Within minutes, the boy’s smiling as he floats by the poolside, chasing after the inflatable ball as the other three boys join him for an impromptu game resembling a modified version of water polo.

Seungcheol’s the kind of teacher who tailors the lesson to each child, focusing on their strengths and fixing their weaknesses; injecting fun to keep the lesson light and casual, but still bordering a sense of seriousness to keep the kids in line. Nothing like Jihoon’s old swim coach, who mainly prioritized speed and discipline, as if he was training a bunch of kids for the Olympics!

Everyone seems to have fun, the sound of children’s laughter filling the air, accompanied by occasional titters from the bikini moms perched on the sun loungers on the other end of the pool.

Jihoon’s sitting awkwardly on the edge of his seat, too tense to lean back and relax. He’s sure that Seungcheol’s seen him, but the surfer is too busy watching over the kids, especially the girl with the unicorn floatie.

The girl’s much younger than Jihoon was when he first started swimming, but she has more determination than he had. He watches her attempt to swim from one side of the pool to the other aided by the unicorn floatie, struggling hard to reach out for proper strokes, but she kicks her little feet hard, propelling through the water. Even though Jihoon doesn’t even know her, he feels proud to witness the small victory she’s trying to achieve.

“Hey, Jihoonie!” Seungcheol waves him over, leaning by the side of the pool, as he keeps a watchful eye on the children happily splashing around in the water.

Jihoon grins when he approaches the surfer, squatting by his side.

“And here comes Kyla, she’s faster than Michael Phelps himself.” Seungcheol narrates, as the girl in the unicorn floatie swims towards them, accompanied by splashing sounds. 

Kyla’s doing her best, drawing closer to Seungcheol and Jihoon who are sitting at the end of the pool. A smile blooms on her face when she reaches them, panting, proud of what she’d done - for a toddler, she’d been impressive, swimming half the length of the pool.

“You did well.” Seungcheol smiles at the girl, catching her in his arms when she finally draws close.

Kyla looks at Seungcheol. “Can I try without the floatie next time?”

“Are you sure?”

The girl nods with a determined expression, her wet pigtails moving in sync. She flicks her gaze towards Jihoon’s pink hair and smiles shyly, peeking at him from beneath her eyelashes.

“I like your hair.” Kyla says softly, fiddling with her floatie.

Jihoon blushes, his face turning as pink as his hair.

“It’s cute, right? I like it, too.” Seungcheol tells Kyla, as he reaches out to ruffle Jihoon’s strawberry popsicle hair. The little girl follows suit, her little hand gently patting his head. Inadvertently, Jihoon smiles; a warm feeling rising in his chest.

Kyla starts fussing about her skin getting wrinkly after staying in the water for a while, so Seungcheol bundles her out of the pool immediately, and quickly dismisses the rest of the class - the allocated hour is up. 

The kids all wave goodbye to their swim instructor as they rush towards their mothers, who make no point to leave just yet; each of them casting furtive longing glances towards Seungcheol, who’s unaware of it. 

“Cute.” Jihoon mutters to himself as he watches the children.

“They’re all cute, but Kyla’s the cutest.” Seungcheol pushes himself out from the pool, sitting at the edge, right by Jihoon. “After you, of course.”

Jihoon pretends he didn’t hear Seungcheol’s comment, watching the children leave with their mothers.

“It makes me want to be a dad.” Seungcheol adds as an afterthought, chancing a brief look at Jihoon. Their eyes meet for a second, and Jihoon quickly looks away, avoiding Seungcheol’s intense gaze. His mind is starting to go into hyperdrive, over analysing Seungcheol’s every word. The surfer’s proximity doesn’t help, either - Seungcheol’s sitting too close; his wet skin touching the sleeve of Jihoon’s shirt, making it damp.

If they were to be parents...Jihoon feels like Seungcheol would make an extremely good dad, from the gentle, easy way he treats children.

The bikini moms (now all covered up) wave too many goodbyes they leave slowly with their children. Seungcheol smiles at them as they leave, and Jihoon swears that he can hear them swooning, and his ears flare up in jealousy.

“Let me take a break first, then it’s your turn.” Seungcheol says, and Jihoon looks at him in confusion.

Jihoon almost forgot the reason he’s there in the first place: for another swim lesson from Seungcheol. At this moment, swimming’s the last thing on his mind, but that’s his reason to spend more time with Seungcheol.

“I’ll go change.” Jihoon finds himself saying. He’s still wearing his street clothes; his wetsuit hidden underneath his oversized T-shirt and shorts. He doesn’t want to start an impromptu strip show in front of Seungcheol, so he scrambles to his feet and rushes off to the bathrooms.

There’s no one inside the dimly lit toilets, so Jihoon takes a breather - of course his heart is beating unnaturally fast. He spends a few minutes staring at his own reflection in front of the mirror, trying to calm himself down - even if his expression doesn’t show it, Jihoon’s practically a mess inside whenever he’s with Seungcheol. His face and ears is as pink as his hair, and he knows that it isn’t only because of the hot weather outside.

He splashes some water onto his face, hoping to cool himself down. Wiping his face, he gives himself a pep talk, trying to overcome the nerves and drown out that stupid little voice at the back of his mind, telling him that he’s going to drown...

_You got this, Jihoon. You won’t make yourself look like a fool in front of Seungcheol._

That’s the last thing he wants to be right now: a swimming fool in the swimming pool.

Suddenly the door swings open, bright sunlight from outside spilling into the bathroom.

It’s Seungcheol, looking like a godsend, hurrying over to the urinals for a much needed pee. Jihoon tries to ignore him as he lets out a huge sigh of relief, thinking of puppies and unicorns and innocent things.

“Did you bring your kickboard?” Seungcheol asks, still relieving himself.

Jihoon can practically envision his sleek black kickboard - the one Seungcheol had gotten him - leaning against the wall in his bedroom. He’d left home without it, the thought bringing it along completely passing his mind - he was already excited to see Seungcheol again even though they’d already spent the night together. Would he be able to survive a lesson without it, or would Seungcheol actually try to make him use those kids’ floaties he’d brought along? Jihoon would rather drown than get caught with a unicorn floatie around his waist...

“I didn’t think of that.” Jihoon admits, fiddling with the hem of his shirt, keeping his eyes onto the shiny tap in front of him. Seungcheol quickly finishes his business, then walks over to wash his hands in the sink right next to Jihoon. The surfer assesses Jihoon’s reflection in the mirror, quickly picking up the hint of uneasiness radiating from the pink-haired man.

“You ready for your lesson?” Seungcheol’s tone is concerned, and Jihoon’s heart melts a little - always putting Jihoon’s well-being above everything else, Choi Seungcheol….as long as he’s around, Jihoon knows he’ll be fine, and a renewed sense of motivation washes over him.

In the wise words of SpongeBob SquarePants, Jihoon thinks: _I’m ready._

He tugs his shirt off, followed by his shorts, revealing the skintight wetsuit he’s wearing underneath. Bundling them into a neat pile, Jihoon smiles at Seungcheol, who immediately understands - he knows that Jihoon’s a man of action, no words needed. He’ll take care of Jihoon, no matter what.

They emerge from the bathroom together, back into the brightness, the pool water glistening like a gem, reflecting the sun rays. Apart from a couple of old ladies soaking up some sunshine by the poolside, the area is noticeably quieter after the kids (and the bikini moms) left. Seungcheol leads Jihoon towards the open showers, his hand naturally resting on the small of Jihoon’s back. “Shower first before you enter the pool.”

For a fleeting moment, Jihoon thinks that Seungcheol would shower with him, but the surfer steps under the adjacent shower instead, letting a quick stream of water fall onto his body.

Jihoon’s almost disappointed, but watching Seungcheol shower (albeit wearing swimming trunks) is like watching a commercial or something; each water droplet hitting Seungcheol’s beautifully tanned skin in slow motion and 4K resolution. The way his pushes his wet hair back is almost sensual, and Jihoon wants to do nothing but run his own fingers through it and straighten out all the tangles.

If this really was a commercial, Jihoon would buy a lifetime supply of whatever it is that Seungcheol’s advertising without even batting an eyelash.

Realising that he’s practically ogling the surfer, Jihoon snaps back to reality and reaches out for the tap of his own shower. The cold water hits him immediately, alerting all his six senses. He tousles water into his hair down to the scalp, noticing that some of the pink dye is trickling down his back, slowly fading off. He quickly turns the shower off, rubbing his arms for some warmth, before slicking his wet hair back to see Seungcheol already entering the swimming pool. The surfer starts swimming lazily over to the middle of the pool, turning back to look at Jihoon; raising his eyebrows in challenge...

It goes without saying: It’s the usual drill - Jihoon’s supposed to swim over to Seungcheol, like those lessons they’d had before at Joshua’s family mansion.

Simple enough.

But today he’s without his kickboard, and it’s been quite a while since his last lesson.

Jihoon suddenly feels absolutely ridiculous in his wetsuit as he walks over to the edge of the pool, conscious that Seungcheol and the old ladies are watching his every move. He dips a toe in the water, testing the temperature - he’s feeling a bit chilly after his pre-swim shower, even though the sun is shining brightly. Jihoon sits by the edge of the pool, slowly immersing himself in the water, gripping tightly to the edge just in case.

The cold water of the pool wraps around Jihoon’s body in a rush, and the water reaches his torso. He’s trying to keep calm, treading water to stay afloat, wondering how he’s going to get over to Seungcheol, who’s all the way in the middle of the pool...

Seungcheol suddenly dives underwater, his dark head barely visible under the surface of the water. Jihoon widens his eyes in alarm, then he shakes his head - Seungcheol’s probably trying to mess with him so that he tries his best to swim over.

Jihoon begins his swim, trying to float horizontally, the typical swimming stance, but he’s not used to it; so he stays vertical instead, floundering around like a jellyfish. His heart is already racing as he slowly treads over to Seungcheol. His toes barely scrape the tiled floor of the pool, and he tries to keep afloat, half-swimming, half-walking to Seungcheol’s general area. The surfer’s still submerged, and Jihoon’s starting to worry - what if Seungcheol runs out of breath and drowns?

He tries to get used to his natural buoyancy, using it to his advantage for speed. As if possessed by Kyla’s determination earlier, Jihoon does his best to swim, reaching forward with his arms, stroke by stroke, slowly but surely. 

And this time, he’s actually swimming; falling into a comfortable rhythm, alternating his strokes and his breathing like how Seungcheol and his old swimming coach had taught him. The sound of splashing water fills his ears, his mind focused on one thing only - to get to Seungcheol; and his limbs cut through the water as if on autopilot - he’s gotten a lot more confident in the water.

Seungcheol bobs just underneath the surface of the water, watching Jihoon with a proud little smile on his face. Air bubbles start to escape from his nose - he could only hold his breath for a short while, of course - but for some reason, Jihoon’s making incredible progress swimming towards him in record time.

Jihoon’s concentration is unbreakable - he doesn’t notice Seungcheol emerging from the water in front of him, and he’s shocked when he suddenly bumps into a block of muscle.

Seungcheol’s right in front of him, smiling widely, a little dimple forming in his cheek. His wet bangs are all flattened on his forehead after his impromptu dive, water dripping off the sharp angle of his mandibular ramus; looking like he could rival the Greek god Poseidon as god of the seas. Jihoon practically stares at Seungcheol for a few seconds, appreciating his beauty, feeling like the luckiest guy on earth that he had the chance to meet a person like Seungcheol.

They’re at the deep end of the pool, and Jihoon can’t feel the bottom of the pool with his feet anymore. Once Jihoon realises that, he tries to tread water as best as he can to stay afloat, but fear takes ahold of him and he could feel himself sinking into the chlorinated water...

“Gotcha.” Seungcheol says, scooping Jihoon into his strong arms, sensing Jihoon’s worry - he’s still scared of deep water. Jihoon clings to him like a koala, his fingers gripping Seungcheol’s bare shoulders tightly, scared of letting go of his lifebuoy. 

“I got you.” Seungcheol’s words comfort Jihoon, and he tries to relax, getting himself used to the buoyancy once more. “You’ve gotten much better, Jihoonie.”

Still holding on to Seungcheol with one arm, Jihoon instinctively reaches out and sweeps Seungcheol’s wet bangs aside, so he could have a better view of Seungcheol’s face.

Seungcheol smiles at the gesture, and embraces onto Jihoon tighter, as Jihoon flicks his gaze down to Seungcheol’s lips, naturally leaning in closer.

He could feel Seungcheol’s long eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks, their heavy breathing almost in sync. Frisson is electric in the air, it’s clear what’s about to happen, and they’re both almost desperate for it. Seungcheol gently threads his fingers through Jihoon’s damp pink hair, closing the gap between them that their noses bump together.

So much tension hanging in the air, and there’s only one way to diffuse it.

Jihoon parts his lips slightly, slipping his eyes shut, already anticipating the soft touch of Seungcheol’s lips against his own…

But Jihoon can sense Seungcheol’s hesitation, pausing for a moment too long, his warm presence slowly shying away.

“I can save you from drowning, but I can’t save you if you fall for me…” Seungcheol’s voice is a low rumble, seeping into Jihoon’s soul. It takes him a second to register the surfer’s cheesy words, before he blinks his eyes open in confusion.

Seungcheol, on the other hand, keeps a straight face, looking at Jihoon with the most intense gaze that it makes him feel hot all over. He’s keeping a respectable distance from Jihoon, though he’s still holding him securely in his arms - which is just about right, since Jihoon’s thinking about slipping underwater after that lame pickup line: it seems that he’d have a better chance of getting CPR, rather than a real kiss from Seungcheol at this rate.

Jihoon’s not sure whether to kiss Seungcheol or not after he dropped that lame pickup line, but hey, he’s still cute, so why not? Yet Seungcheol’s already subtly pulling away, like he’s too embarrassed to be seen around Jihoon, and it makes him feel like he’s too desperate for affection from the surfer.

“Just kiss already!” Someone yells out, and it turns out to be one of the old ladies by the poolside, peering at them, probably hoping for some love to happen between them...

They both blush, and Jihoon looks down, trying to hide his face; but he sees Seungcheol’s toned chest instead and blushes even more.

“Anyway.” Seungcheol blinks, their intimate moment broken by the interruption (and his cheesy pickup line). His expression is professional once more, and he’d loosened his grip on Jihoon, already drifting a few feet away. He grabs Jihoon’s hand instead, and leads him to a less deeper side of the pool. “I think it’s time for you to get used to deep water for today’s lesson.”

* * *

Choi Seungcheol is the biggest idiot Jihoon’s ever met.

_We could’ve kissed_ is a weird relationship to have with someone, toying around with emotions and feelings, the loss of what could have been...

Jihoon’s walking home with too many thoughts swimming in his head. The cold manner Seungcheol dismissed the matter, slowly rejecting his advances, made him feel worried and confused and disappointed that maybe Seungcheol didn’t like him as much as he thought he did.

But his rational side convinces him that it probably was a bad idea to kiss someone in the middle of the pool, especially if that someone was his incredibly hot surf/swim instructor that he has a giant crush on. At least, that’s what he thinks is Seungcheol’s reason, since he’s particularly anal on Jihoon’s safety.

After all, it only could’ve been a stupid little kiss, right? Nothing Jihoon should be too pressed about, missing the opportunity to kiss someone he really likes...

They’d continued the lesson properly after that anticlimactic bit; Seungcheol trying to help Jihoon gain confidence in the deep water, letting him swim around; watching from the sidelines. Jihoon had thrown all his focus into swimming, progressing slowly but steadily, grasping all the basic skills.

There hadn’t been another intimate moment throughout the lesson; the sun hanging high above their heads when they finished.

Seungcheol would’ve given Jihoon a ride home, but Jerry had unexpectedly turned up at the public pool with an exasperated expression on his face, and without any explanation, had dragged Seungcheol away, right after the lesson when they were both drying off.

Jihoon had been taken aback at Seungcheol’s sudden kidnapping - what was that even about….? There was nothing he could do but watch Jerry manhandle Seungcheol off to the carpark; Seungcheol yelling back promising that he’d text Jihoon later.

He’s a bit mad at Jerry for taking Seungcheol away from him, and he practically stomps down the street, his flip-flops smacking against the ground. 

Right then, his phone vibrates with a text message from Seungcheol.

That doesn’t really make sense, since the both of them had been extras, and anyone could have replaced them, rather than making the long trip back to the glamorous big city.

Jihoon could’ve spent the rest of the day with Seungcheol, picking off where they’d left off in the pool earlier, preferably on dry ground.

He takes a brief moment to lament missed opportunities, wondering how to respond to Seungcheol. But then, there’s another incoming text message, and Jihoon almost falls to the floor when he reads it.

Choi Seungcheol, the hottest surfer dude this side of the globe, asking him out on a date????

They’d eaten together before, be it lunch or dinner, but those had been casual events, without any prior agreement of the sort - it was natural for them to dine together after swimming lessons when they’d both be hungry and could practically polish of ten servings of rice each. 

But now Seungcheol’s invitation makes everything seem more definite, written words that he’d never go back on.

And with the way Seungcheol had been looking at him with what appeared to be bedroom eyes earlier in the pool - Jihoon had never been stared at so intensely by anyone, ever - their relationship looks like it’s going to take an interesting turn after weeks of flirting with the idea of becoming more than just friends.

Jihoon knows he’s smiling like an idiot, tachycardia taking over his heart - his fingers are practically trembling as he tries to type out a coherent reply. His initial response is a keyboard smash, but wouldn’t he appear too enthusiastic with _alkghlakjhahgljaskh_?

It takes him several attempts, and he’s already at the front door of his house when he sends his well-thought response. Jihoon enters the house, not expecting anyone to be in, but he can hear strains of jazz music emanating from the living room as he shuts the front door.

Seungcheol’s reply is immediate, and Jihoon clicks the notification bubble in a split second to read it.

Seungcheol’s encouraging response makes his heart bloom, and the world suddenly looks more beautiful than ever. He’s practically floating on air, and his head’s full of mushy thoughts and he smiles to himself - one closed door opens up another… maybe he could kiss Seungcheol at the end of their date!

Jihoon is at ease with the world, all of his worries gone, replaced by thoughts of the most precious person in his life, Seungcheol. 

Jihoon really likes Seungcheol, that much he knows. But being Jihoon, he's not about to come out and say it straight to Seungcheol's face. - the uncertainty of the circumstances frightened him. Seungcheol could either let him down (like he did earlier), leaving his feelings unreciprocated, but judging from his overall heart-fluttering actions ever since they met, it seems like it could turn into something beautiful.

The whole concept's just too much to wrap his brain around - relationships with people had always been difficult for Jihoon. He’d always been careful to not become too attached with the people he met; but Seungcheol had gone beyond that, slipping into Jihoon’s life easily as if he belongs there without question.

Jihoon had never expected to fall in love on this vacation - it seems like a cliché from Those Romantic Movies; his life slowly becoming a montage of fluff and romance whenever they’re together. He’s keen to explore this new feeling; but he needs time to sit and ponder the nature of his relationship with Seungcheol.

They’d been flirting with each other for a while now, subtly skirting around the idea of getting together with lingering gazes and warm touches. Jihoon’s thoughts drift over back to that morning, when Seungcheol had woken him up with kisses - surely there’s at least an iota of romantic love?

It’s just a matter of time before things fall into place, fitting perfectly like matching jigsaw pieces - they clearly like each other, even Soonyoung could see that. But someone should make the move first, otherwise they’d be stuck in this flirting limbo forever.

Of course, Jihoon being Jihoon, he’d rather keep his feelings bottled up inside - he doesn’t have the confidence or the words to tell Seungcheol how he really feels. Just thinking about it makes his tongue tangle up; accompanied by a nervous flutter in his chest.

But if words fail, there’s always music...

Or...maybe he’ll wait for Seungcheol to come out and confess to him instead.

“Hoonie, is that you?” Soonyoung calls out from the living room, and Jihoon can see his best friend peeking at him from behind the couch.

“You’re back.” Jihoon shoves his phone into his pocket, just in case Soonyoung decides to intercept it and read his private conversation with Seungcheol (they’re going on a date!).

Soonyoung looks like an old grandmother, knitting on the couch, surrounded by colourful yarn. This scene’s something that Jihoon didn’t imagine coming home to - he’d expected Soonyoung to spend at least another day with Wonwoo in Los Angeles, doing whatever, with a video camera glued to Soonyoung’s hand.

“Hoonie, look, it’s done!” Soonyoung proudly holds up his patchwork, a mosaic of assorted colours knitted into an intricate pattern.

Soonyoung knits when he needs to calm down, that much Jihoon knows. Something must be keeping him on edge, but Jihoon’s not about to ask - he never has to; Soonyoung would simply tell him everything on his own accord. Wonwoo’s absence is notable, and Jihoon guesses that’s the reason why he’s knitting anxiously...

“Where’s Wonwoo?”

“He’s gone to San Francisco for work. I wanted to go with him, but I realised that I didn’t have enough underwear to last for three more days, so I came home to do the laundry.”

Typical Soonyoung, always having his priorities in a twist - and knowing Soonyoung with laundry, he’d probably have loaded the washing machine with his dirty clothes, waiting for Jihoon to start the laundry.

“You could’ve bought a new pack in Frisco.” Jihoon sighs. “Or maybe even go commando.”

“But don’t you think it’s weird to go underwear shopping with Won-won?” Soonyoung’s ears visibly turn red at the idea.

Jihoon’s mind flashes over to Seungcheol - imagining the two of them picking out boxer briefs for each other: a domesticated level of comfort he yearns to achieve.

Soonyoung puts his knitting aside and smiles widely at Jihoon. “Hoonie, don’t you think Won-won is adorable?” When his best friend doesn’t answer, Soonyoung takes the liberty of expressing his deep adoration for Wonwoo.

“His voice is deeper than the Marianas Trench and I kind of want to have a low note battle with him to see how low he can go even though I know I’ll lose. And he laughs at all my lame jokes, unlike you…”

Jihoon knows that Soonyoung and Wonwoo are clearly smitten at each other - he’d seen the way Wonwoo smiles fondly when Soonyoung says something incredibly dumb. Smirking to himself, Jihoon pulls out his phone and starts filming Soonyoung, who’s singing a thousand praises for Wonwoo.

“He looks really, really good in a suit - he looks like he’s MODELLING it, oh, and he looks even handsomer without glasses but I like him with glasses too, he looks cute. Did I say he looks like an actor without glasses? Like one of those actors in Korean dramas or something; he has this kind of handsomeness even when he breathes or even stands there, and I love the way his voice sounds when he speaks, it makes my toes tingle and I wouldn’t mind listening to it at every waking moment.”

“And last night we skipped the movie halfway because I was hungry and it made me feel bad for not watching, because Won-won worked hard on it, but he says he has the original copy or something and I kinda wanna watch it soon, maybe we could invite Cheol-hyung too and make it into a double date or something…” Soonyoung giggles at the thought.

“And we went and had burgers and fries and milkshakes and purple slushies, and and and when he laughs he does this reaaaaaaally cute nose scrunch thing.” Soonyoung tries to imitate Wonwoo’s nose scrunch, but he looks like he’s about to sneeze, and he actually does; thrice. He wipes his nose with the back of his hand before he continues.

“And did I tell you that he sings so well too, I just want to listen to him sing like, FOREVER. He likes Lee Dokyeom too, and I was thinking that maybe we could go to a concert together!”

Soonyoung stops to take a breath, and blinks in confusion when he realises that Jihoon is filming him. “Are you recording this?”

Jihoon shrugs nonchalantly, keeping his phone camera pointed at his best friend. Soonyoung looks like a deer in headlights, suddenly feeling awkward on the opposite side of the camera than he’s used to.

“Do you think I talk too much about Won-won? Soonyoung asks nervously, his voice slightly shaking, and he clutches his knitwork to his chest.

“Oh, just about all the time.” Jihoon confirms, glad that he’d caught Soonyoung’s long-winded confession on camera.

“Hoonie, don’t be jealous, you’ll always be my best friend forever...Won-won is just a ….ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”

Soonyoung’s jaw drops when he tries to think of a noun to describe Wonwoo.

A...friend?

Or more than that?

Jeon Wonwoo with his silly nose scrunches and lame wordplays, Soonyoung’s favourite brand of humour. 

His deep love for ballads, and his incredible commitment towards his work.

His heart fluttering actions that made Soonyoung blush profusely.

Just his general presence that could calm Soonyoung down, a steady rock in Soonyoung’s whirlwind life.

He’s seen so many people around the globe fall in love, including his best friend since forever, Jihoon with surfer Seungcheol (though when will they admit their feelings and get together, it’s been too long) but it hits him like a ton of bricks when he realises that one crucial little fact that he’d been oblivious to all this time…

Soonyoung’s in love with Wonwoo.

His mind starts flashing back to the times they’d spent together, sitting around editing videos, stealing furtive little glances at each other, bickering over petty little things like an old married couple…

Tears start streaming down his face as Soonyoung reminisces the good times he had with Wonwoo in the past month. Those memories, safely documented in his own mind; and Soonyoung wants to create more - with no cameras needed. A lifetime of memories together, smiling through the good times, standing tall through the hard times.

He feels like his chest is bursting with the overwhelming realisation, happy tears falling down his mochi cheeks as he smiles brighter than the sun.

Soonyoung loves Wonwoo, and he’s not afraid to shout it to the world.

But right now, he’s a mess, crumpling down to the floor with his knitting, sobbing happily into it. Jihoon immediately stops filming - he’d never seen Soonyoung cry in all of his life. He’s not sure whether to feel concerned when Soonyoung suddenly lets out a laugh, looking up to his best friend with the happiest smile and tears brimming in his eyes. 

“Hoonie, I love Won-won.”

“Congratulations.” Jihoon says as Soonyoung drags him into a tight hug - he could feel Soonyoung’s snot dribbling down his back. He pats Soonyoung’s back awkwardly, hoping that his best friend would just stop crying over the best thing that’s happening in his life.   

“So what are you going to do about it?” Jihoon asks. 

Soonyoung pulls away from the hug and wipes his face with his shirt sleeve, his smile never leaving his face. Jihoon’s anticipating Soonyoung’s answer, hoping to take a page out of Soonyoung’s book to address his own feelings towards Seungcheol…

“I’m going to throw a party to celebrate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cue outro: [ pretty u x shine: svt and ptg mashup! ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS3KGbOpUig)
> 
> many thanks for reading  
> why is cheol an idiot pls discuss  
> ksy is the cutest ever


	30. life is a party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from: [life is a party - gfriend](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go66NUJ0sZU)  
> chapter song: [rocket - seventeen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBxGdPk5X00)  
> party mix:  
> [dance the night away - twice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXcNuRkNWpo)  
> feeling good - day6  
> [can't help myself - eric nam](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myns4nPoprE)  
> [what's good - seventeen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egah5A4xt3A)  
> [oh my - seventeen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5PELxP8Udg)
> 
>  
> 
> **congrats on making it this far, people. it's been a wild ride**  
>  **ENJOY!!**

_The calming sound of ocean waves lapping against the shore slowly wakes Jihoon up from his slumber; and he’s instantly dazzled by the intense rays of the sun as he cracks his eyes open. The cloudless canvas of the sky above him is too blue, and the heat from the sun is overwhelming, in typical South Californian fashion. Jihoon’s throat is parched, and he wants nothing a refreshing glass of ice-cold cola to quench his thirst. It seems to be another beautiful day in Malibu, and Jihoon lets out a small, relaxed sigh._

_The golden sand underneath him starts to get uncomfortably hot from the heat, until it scorches his back, and he immediately sits up. His skin feels like it’s on fire; and when he holds up his arms to inspect them, he’s horrified to find that his naturally white skin is burnt red, like a lobster; and it’s not a flattering look on him. His skin starts to prickle, like there’s an army on ants underneath it, struggling to get out – the telltale symptom of a sunburn that’s going to last for a very long time._

_What was he thinking, taking a nap on the beach, without any sun protection, and right during the peak UV hours?_

_There are now boiling spots on his skin, popping like bubbles, a weird rash forming. Jihoon’s mind quickly flashes to Seungcheol – and speak of the devil, there he is; skipping down the beach with the largest bottle of cola Jihoon’s ever seen, calling out his name in a fond, singsongy voice._

_He can’t let Seungcheol see him in this state. In a panic, Jihoon stands up, trying to look for an escape route; but that Thomas kid from Jerry’s surf shop is prancing around him, singing a German aria in a falsetto that could rival Beyonce’s vocal range. Soonyoung suddenly appears right next to Jihoon with his video camera, filming of course._

_“Hoonie, why aren’t you wearing pants?”_

_Jihoon glances down on impulse – sure enough, he’s stark naked for the whole world to see, though his skin is now an angry red with splotches of bubbling rashes popping out everywhere. He can feel his temperature rising – it could be the intense heat of the sun, or from his embarrassment; and Jihoon wants to melt into the sand to escape everything that’s happening right now._

_Seungcheol’s getting closer with the cola, oblivious to Jihoon’s (somewhat) sickening state; while Thomas’s voice gets louder and higher, and Soonyoung’s filming everything about Jihoon that could probably be used for blackmail someday if it falls into the wrong hands…_

_No way to escape; no way out of this whole predicament…Jihoon’s thoughts are a swirl of worries as he gazes out to the great Pacific Ocean; its waves calming, inviting. He doesn’t think twice and runs off towards the teeth of the water, stumbling his way through the sand. His skin feels like it’s peeling off, excruciating pain gripping his whole body. The next thing he knows, he’s in the water, steam rising from his body as he cools off in the sea. Jihoon slips his eyes shut, relishing in the cooling sensation, unconsciously drifting away from the shore…_

_When Jihoon opens his eyes, he realises that he’s about neck deep into the sea; and the shore seems like it’s miles away. He’s shocked to find the water around him turning dark red, as if blood has been spilled in the water. Fear instantly grips him, and he starts to hyperventilate. His limbs are useless as he starts to flail around in the water, trying to stay afloat – his newly-learnt swimming skills are now back to zero; he can’t think straight._

_A shark fin appears a few feet away, smoothly slicing through the water, approaching Jihoon. He’s not sure if he’s even bleeding; he feels like he’s lost control over his body fully, barely grasping onto life in his panic. A little thought pops in his mind – blood baits sharks – this might be the end…_

_Regret flickers through his mind; that he’d never told Seungcheol how he really feels – how much he loves him – and he starts choking up._

_But there’s no time to think of regrets; as the shark’s right by Jihoon’s side at this moment. He’s resigned himself to his doom at this point; there’s nothing that he can do to save himself. The shark circles him in a predatory manner, taking its time to attack. The ocean is oddly still; the red colour slowly diffusing away. Everything around him is moving soundlessly in slow motion, like one of those plot defining scenes in movies – he could hear the Jaws theme song climaxing loudly in his head as the shark draws closer to him._

_Any moment now, he’ll be mauled by a shark._

_A rumble comes from the sky, which is now a slate grey, with thick, ominous clouds hanging low in the sky. Lightning flashes in the horizon, and the sea slowly grows turbulent, the waves getting bigger and bigger. The shark’s nowhere to be seen, as if it’s been frightened away by the thunder. Jihoon slowly regains the feeling in his limbs, and he tries to tread water to stay afloat; yet the waves are getting wilder, almost gigantic; taller than any wave Jihoon’s ever seen. He’s cold, and the tips of his fingers are turning black, like it’s been frostbitten. The choppy waves throw him about relentlessly, yet somehow he manages to keep his head above the surface of the water._

_A large wave suddenly crashes over him, and suddenly he’s underwater, flailing in the strong current, losing his sense of direction. He gulps in a lungful of salt water, and pain fills his chest._

_He feels dizzy as he starts losing oxygen, and he slips his eyes shut._

_This is it. He’s going to drown in this storm, and nobody would ever find him. He’d lose everything he’d ever known, remembered by others as a tragedy._

_Soonyoung’s calling his name; a faraway sound that’s dramatically fading away, as Jihoon loses his consciousness. The last thing he hears is the soft strains of the pansori music that Soonyoung always plays every morning…_

“Hoonie.”

Bounce.

Jihoon cracks one eye open, as his bed dips from the weight of someone jumping on it.

Soonyoung.

“Hoonie, wake up.”

Bounce.

Jihoon lets out a tiny sigh of relief, glad it’s all a nightmare - every scene, every sensation felt too real. But now he’s waking up to a real-life nightmare in the form of his best friend, who’s trying to wake him up by jumping on his bed like an excited five-year-old on Christmas morning. Of course, he’s playing his bloody pansori this early in the morning; and Jihoon hides his head under his pillow to block it all out, though he knows he won’t get rid of Soonyoung soon.

“Hooniehooniehooniehooniehoonie.” Soonyoung’s like an Energizer bunny on steroids with a sugar rush, bouncing on the bed with each syllable of Jihoon’s name.

Annoyed, Jihoon aims his pillow at Soonyoung, only to miss by a mile. “What.”

Soonyoung stops jumping on the bed, landing on his butt. “You were moaning in your sleep, and you had your angry noot noot face on.” Soonyoung reaches out to touch the crease between Jihoon’s eyebrows. “I think you were having a scary dream.”

Jihoon wipes the corners of his eyes, which are slightly damp with tears. The dream had been so vivid; it seemed almost real. But he’s just going to dismiss it as one of those tricks the mind plays, messing with his worries and memories, mashing it up into a nightmare. Jihoon feels unsettled, and he wants nothing more than a reassuring cuddle from Seungcheol, but he’s still in LA with Jerry for his little acting gig.

“There, there.” Soonyoung pats Jihoon’s faded pink hair. “It’s okay, Soonie’s here.” Jihoon finds himself pressed up against Soonyoung, who’s smothering him in a tight hug. He lets Soonyoung hold him for exactly three seconds before he wrestles his way out of the suffocating embrace.

“Better?” Soonyoung beams so brightly, that Jihoon can’t help but crack a tiny grin himself.

“Somewhat.”

“You’re welcome. You owe me one.”

“Mm.” Jihoon returns to the safety of his blankets where there would be no painful sunburns or tsunamis or sharks. It had been his imagination anyway, which had gotten much wilder ever since he came to America.

After making sure his best friend’s okay, Soonyoung moves on to business - on normal days, he wouldn’t even dare wake Jihoon up, but today, he’s got an extremely important agenda, and he wants Jihoon to be there with him. “Help me, Hoonie.”

“No.” Jihoon wants nothing to do with Soonyoung today; he wants to return to sleep and have sweet, sweet dreams about Seungcheol to counter the effects of his unsettling nightmare. He pulls the covers over his head, half-wishing he hadn’t thrown his pillow away.

“Help me.” Soonyoung pokes Jihoon’s back. “You owe me one, remember?”

“No.”

“Pleaaaaaaaase.” Poke, poke poke.

“Go away.”

Soonyoung pauses for a beat before he tries again. “Cheol-hyung is downstairs.”

Jihoon immediately sits up, throwing the covers aside; jumping out of bed. Soonyoung stifles a giggle at Jihoon’s responsiveness at the mere mention of the surfer’s name. Just goes to show how much Jihoon likes Seungcheol…

“Hoonie, he’s not actually here.” Soonyoung laughs triumphantly - he’d found Jihoon’s weakness.

Jihoon’s eyes flash with annoyance, and he’s thinking about choking some sense into Soonyoung; but right then, his phone vibrates with a couple of incoming messages. Jihoon impulsively grabs it from the nightstand, where it’s been charging overnight; and wide smile forms on his face when he sees that it’s from Seungcheol.

“Who is it?” Soonyoung asks conversationally, fluffing Jihoon’s pillow.

“Cheol. He’s coming back to Malibu later.” His anger at Soonyoung is gone, and his insides feel and warm and gooey, his heart fluttering around madly in his chest - look at what Seungcheol’s done to him!

“Weird. Won-won hasn’t told me when he’ll be back. I miss him.” Soonyoung grabs his own phone, pouting at the lack of messages. “Anyway. You’re helping me with today’s project.”

“No. I’ve already got plans of my own.” The past couple of days in Seungcheol’s absence, Jihoon had taken the chance to drag his forgotten surfboard out of storage and practiced his surfing techniques on the beach with Thomas, Jerry’s assistant at the surf shop, who had took charge in his boss’s absence, making sure business went well. They’d practice surfing in the morning together – though Thomas’s also a novice in surfing, his skills were nowhere as polished as Seungcheol or Jerry; yet he’d been helpful all along. In the afternoons, Jihoon would drag his guitar out and play some tunes for Thomas to sing along to as he works around in the shop.

Thomas’s a charming kid, aspiring to be a singer. He’d just started helping out at Jerry’s surf shop for extra allowance to save up to move to the East Coast for music school. His bright personality amused Jihoon to no end, almost reminding him of Soonyoung’s equally endless energy, though he knew when to tone things down. Jihoon found himself warming up to Thomas easily, glad he’d made a new friend.

“I barely get to hang out with you anymore, Hoonie.” Soonyoung says in a tiny voice.

Jihoon flinches; that bit was true. But Soonyoung was the one who’d been MIA these few days, ensconcing himself indoors, editing his vlog on his own, in Wonwoo’s absence.

Jihoon’s thankful of all of the brand new friendships he’d built over in his time in America, yet he’s almost ignoring the oldest friendship he has with Soonyoung. Jihoon feels somewhat estranged from his best friend, drifting away from each other with their different interests, spending most of their time with other people instead of with each other. Ironically, Soonyoung had been the one who’d invited him out to LA so they could spend time having fun adventures together. But things had gone a lot different from his expectations since he got onto the plane to escape his life in Seoul, which seems like a different lifetime away. The weight of his stressful job gone, rediscovering his love for music, and potential development in the romance department with a hot surfer guy.

Maybe the least he could do was spend a bit of time with Soonyoung, his best friend. Jihoon feels a stab of guilt, seeing Soonyoung’s sad little face - what if he’d actually planned a day of fun for them? Jihoon doesn’t know how to backtrack and patch things up with Soonyoung, who would probably feel lonely without Wonwoo or even Jihoon.

“It’s okay, I guess.” Soonyoung gently puts the pillow in its place, then shuts off the pansori playing on his phone. “You already have plans.” He slowly walks out the room, dragging his feet dramatically.

“Soonie.” Jihoon exhales deeply as Soonyoung pauses expectantly in his slow exit. “I’ll hang out with you today.”

Soonyoung turns around, already smiling brighter than the sun outside. “Thanks, Hoonie.” He reaches over and wraps Jihoon into a tight hug. “We’ll have so much fun together, just like old times!”

* * *

It’s ten o'clock in the morning; and Jihoon and Soonyoung are standing in front of a supermarket located in the heart of Malibu. They’re waiting for the store to open, having arrived about ten minutes too early.

“This is your brilliant plan for today?” Jihoon mutters. “Grocery shopping.”

Soonyoung’s busy adjusting the camera angle so that both of them can be seen in the frame - of course this needs to be documented too! “You mean, grocery shopping for the greatest party the world has ever seen!”

Jihoon stops himself from rolling his eyes. Soonyoung apparently hadn’t been joking when he said that he was going to throw a party to celebrate his newfound feelings for Wonwoo – which is a ludicrous idea. Why won’t Soonyoung tell Wonwoo exactly how he feels, instead of going through great measures to celebrate his feelings or whatever he claims he’s doing (not that Jihoon’s any better with his approach to his own feelings towards Seungcheol).

“Say hello to the world, Hoonie!” Soonyoung pokes his best friend’s rib, motioning to the camera.

“Hello, world.” Jihoon acknowledges the camera with a slight raise of an eyebrow.

“Ooh, what a cool image.” Soonyoung teases, nudging his best friend again. “Did I tell you how well our vlog is doing online?”

“Enlighten me.” Jihoon tries to hide a yawn – he’s still tired.

“Everyone loves it! They think you and Cheol-hyung are cute together.” Soonyoung laughs heartily.

Jihoon can only smile shyly at the statement, the back of his neck prickling with embarrassment.

Soonyoung does a double take; and presses his camera into Jihoon’s face for an extreme close-up. “Wait, are you guys already dating?”

Jihoon sputters, choking on his own spit at Soonyoung’s sudden assumption. “W-what?”

“Oh, so you’re not… when are you going to tell him?”

“Tell him what?” Jihoon can feel his face turning redder by the moment - he’d never been prepared to talk about the details of his love life with his best friend.

“That you really, really, reaaaaaaaaaaally like him.”

 _Never_. Jihoon thinks, partly shocked by his own answer. He likes the honeymoon period of crushing on Seungcheol - light, flirty feelings with no strings attached. But he’s scared of laying his heart out for Seungcheol, word for word in fear of losing the comfort of whatever relationship they have right now - a friendship teasing the boundaries of romance.

“Everyone can see it, Hoonie.” Soonyoung hovers closely by Jihoon’s ear, dropping his voice down to a whisper. “You like Cheol-hyung.”

If Soonyoung and the whole world knows about it, then there’s no more hiding...

“Can we just get on with the shopping?” Jihoon exclaims, uncomfortable under Soonyoung’s scrutiny.

“Hoonie, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Jihoon takes a moment to think about Seungcheol’s very existence. The sweet, sweet memory of Seungcheol giving him good morning kisses surfaces, and Jihoon feels all warm and fluttery inside. He hides his red face in his hands, exhilarated at the idea of being in love. “I like him so much, what do I do?”

“Throw a party…?”

“You’re an idiot.” Jihoon swats his best friend’s shoulder.

“He’s invited for tonight, if you must know. I’m giving you a chance to you-know-what.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Jihoon says hotly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Hoonie, sweet, sweet innocent Hoonie. You’ll know what to do when the time comes.” Soonyoung smiles to himself, and goes over to grab a shopping trolley. “D’you want to sit in the baby seat?”

“I can walk by myself, thanks.” Jihoon huffs, and enters the air-conditioned supermarket, a stark contrast from the sweltering heat outside. Soonyoung snickers to himself – he always has fun teasing the life out of Jihoon.

There’s no one in the supermarket this early, only bleary-faced staff drifting around, restocking shelves. Soonyoung pushes the trolley down the aisles, picking out absolutely random items that have nothing to do with parties, like rubber gloves and watering cans, and keeping up a constant narration for the camera.

“Don’t you have a shopping list or anything?” Jihoon asks, mainly concerned for Soonyoung’s trust fund, which at this rate would be used up to buy useless, irrelevant items.

“Nope. I just go with the flow.” Soonyoung says, dumping a couple of cereal boxes into his trolley.

Jihoon follows Soonyoung closely just in case Soonyoung disappears or makes some irrational decision; though he doesn’t stop Soonyoung from putting ten chocolate bars into his shopping cart. Jihoon tries to hide a yawn, clearly bored; though the sight of Soonyoung trying to vlog and shop at the same time is amusing.

“Hoonie, can you go find me regular sized samosas?” Soonyoung asks out of the blue, as he inspects a box of animal-shaped biscuits.

“What are regular sized samosas?”

“Y’know, samosas… in regular size.”

“How would I know if it’s regular sized?” Jihoon asks, but Soonyoung’s already wandered over to a display of colourful candy with his fully laden trolley, ignoring his question.

Jihoon shakes his head in confusion, unsure where to start with Soonyoung’s random request. He barely knows what samosas are, so he musters up the courage to ask a young sales assistant dozing off by a stack of canned food.

“Excuse me.” Jihoon’s voice comes out tinier than an ant. He clears his throat, which jolts the assistant into semi-alertness. “Do you have regular sized samosas?”

“Frozen section.” The sales assistant mumbles, pointing to a row of freezers.

Jihoon mutters a thank you and hurries over, keeping an eye out for the item he’s looking for, though he has absolutely no idea what they look like. There’s a variety of frozen food available, but absolutely no regular sized samosas (at least according to the product packaging), like Soonyoung had asked for.

“I’m done shopping!” Soonyoung suddenly appears in the frozen section; pushing his shopping cart over to Jihoon, which is filled to the brim with assorted items. “Did you find the regular sized samosas?”

Jihoon panics, still empty handed; but he spies a little something jammed in the cruddiest corner of the freezer from the corner of his eye. The bright packaging catches his attention, and the huge letters spell out: S-A-M-O-S-A-S...

Samosas are samosas, regardless of its size, so Jihoon gathers about five packs - which should be enough for Soonyoung’s party - and adds it to the mountainous pile of groceries in Soonyoung’s trolley.

“Found them.” Jihoon smiles thinly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Nice. I wanna look at the ice-cream.”

Jihoon follows Soonyoung around for a bit more, not giving another thought about the regular sized samosas. Soonyoung takes about half an hour browsing the different varieties of ice-cream before he gets bored of it.

“Time to pay!”

Jihoon silently watches Soonyoung unload his groceries at the cash register; the cashier frantically trying to scan all of them.

“And the most important ones of all…” Soonyoung puts the bags of frozen samosas onto the counter with a sweeping gesture. He suddenly pauses, closely inspecting the small print on the packaging. “Hang on. These are mini samosas, Hoonie; I specifically requested for regular sized samosas!”

“They don’t have it, Soonie.”

“Do you have regular sized samosas?” Soonyoung asks aggressively.

“Chill, Soonie.”

“That’s all we have here.” The cashier says, focused on his work of scanning and packing the groceries.

“I’m going to return them. I want regular sized samosas.” Soonyoung looks like he’s going to stomp his foot in dissatisfaction.

“To have samosas, or no samosas at your party?” Jihoon asks, sounding ridiculously rhetorical.

Soonyoung mulls it over for a while, then sighs in defeat. “Fine, I’ll take them.” He hands his credit card over to the cashier. He’s silent as he watches the cashier pack everything up into plastic bags.

“I’m still mad that you couldn’t find regular sized samosas.” Soonyoung mutters, as they leave the store bearing too many grocery bags. The midday heat outside is almost unbearable, and Jihoon feels like he’s going to melt into the asphalt.

“They only had frozen mini samosas!” Jihoon says defensively. “I found them for you, be grateful.” The next time Soonyoung utters the phrase regular sized samosas again, Jihoon’s going to kill him - at this point, it sounds like a terrible joke.

“Sad. The party was supposed to revolve around the regular sized samosas; now I’ll have to improvise…”

Jihoon’s eye twitches - Soonyoung’s lucky that he’s got his hands full of groceries, otherwise he’d be roadkill, best friend or not. Soonyoung’s being ridiculous anyway, and there’s no point in arguing about something so petty, so Jihoon doesn’t try to counter further.

“Maybe I’ll pretend that the mini samosas are supposed to be regular sized samosas, and no one would know the difference!” Soonyoung says, then he pauses in his tracks, dropping all of his shopping onto the ground. “Hoonie, look at those kiddie rides!” He runs over to a row of colourful animal-shaped machines outside the grocery store. “How did we miss them on the way in?”

“You were too busy with your camera.” Jihoon mutters. “We’ve got frozens in here, can we hurry before they melt?”

But Soonyoung barely hears Jihoon, already fishing around in his pockets for loose change. “You’ve got to get on one of these, Hoonie!”

“Why not you?”

“’Cause I’d look ridiculous.” Soonyoung feeds some coins into the closest machine, a rainbow-coloured unicorn monstrosity. “Get on, Hoonie!”

“There’s no way out of this, is there?” Jihoon hesitates, eyeing the machine.

“I already put in a dollar in the machine! Don’t let it go to waste!” Soonyoung says, already filming. The unicorn ride is already bobbing in time to a cheesy jingle that irritates Jihoon’s nerves.

For a moment Jihoon thinks about marching back to the car and leave Soonyoung hanging, but he doesn’t want to disappoint Soonyoung again, even if it means entertaining his silly ideas. After a moment of deliberation, Jihoon sighs, dropping his shopping bags onto the ground, and slowly climbs onto the ride. “Happy?”

Soonyoung’s giggling like mad, slightly taken aback with Jihoon’s unlikely decision; but he quickly bounces back into action, his camera already poised in Jihoon’s direction. “No, you’re the one who should be happy! Smile, Hoonie!”

Jihoon grimaces instead, feeling ridiculous sitting on a kiddie ride, as Soonyoung takes his picture. Once Soonyoung gets the shot, he immediately turns away and sends the photo to Seungcheol, giggling like mad.

Seungcheol’s response is instantaneous: a mash of wild emojis and keyboard smashes.

There it is, crystal clear. Just a matter of time before Jihoon and Seungcheol would get together…if only either one of them would confess first. Soonyoung can’t even predict when that would ever happen, but he’s determined to get it on film somehow - maybe he could pin a secret camera onto Jihoon? They’re best friends anyway, so privacy shouldn’t be an issue - or at least, that’s what Soonyoung thinks.

Soonyoung slips his phone back into his pocket as Jihoon rides out a full minute on the unicorn, keeping an unamused expression on his face. The next sixty seconds are excruciating for Jihoon, while Soonyoung takes the chance to film his best friend with glee.

Jihoon keeps a straight face as he climbs down the kiddie ride when it finally stops, half-expecting for Soonyoung to loudly declare that he wants to have a go, too. But Soonyoung’s too busy with his phone, uploading a video of Jihoon on the kiddie ride onto his social media page. The moment it’s posted, Soonyoung’s already gotten a couple of likes; and it gives him a bit of a thrill that people are liking the short, adorable clip of Jihoon. He sends a copy to Seungcheol, too; just to tease him a little.

Clueless about what Soonyoung is currently sharing with the whole world; Jihoon picks up the shopping bags he’d dropped onto the ground, glad that his cringe-worthy ride on a unicorn is over. “Can we go home now?”

“Okay.” Soonyoung replies distractedly, still on his phone. A hundred comments are already pouring in by the second, each one more frenzied than the other. Everyone on the internet finds Jihoon absolutely adorable, especially one (1) surfer who’s frantically texting Soonyoung more crying emojis as he makes his way back to Malibu after his acting stint in the City of Angels.

Soonyoung smiles to himself, feeling fluttery in Jihoon’s place. Seungcheol seems to be so enamoured with his best friend, who certainly returns the feelings. Even the whole world can see that they’re perfect for each other, so why is it taking too long for them to get together? But in the wise words of SpongeBob SquarePants: _you can’t rush perfection…_

Thinking about Seungcheol and Jihoon reminds Soonyoung and his current situation with Wonwoo. He hadn’t seen Wonwoo since their date night in LA. Just thinking about Wonwoo makes Soonyoung’s heart beat a tiny bit faster. On impulse, he sends a quick invitation for the man that he’s celebrating tonight.

Soonyoung is already nervous, doubting his plans of throwing a lavish party for someone out of the blue. But it’s for someone that he loves with his whole heart, and he’d do anything do see Wonwoo smile again - it’s the most precious thing on earth.

They’ll have lots of fun together that evening, then maybe he’ll tell Wonwoo how he feels then maybe they’d kiss and get together and stay together happily ever after. Just thinking about his favourite person in the whole world makes Soonyoung’s heart go zoom, a goofy grin forming on his mochi face.

“The shopping, Soonie?” Jihoon prompts, popping Soonyoung’s bubble of thoughts. He’d followed Jihoon back to the car automatically, wrapped in his own world, that he’d forgotten about his grocery haul sitting miserably on the ground near the row of kiddie rides.

Soonyoung pauses for a second, then skitters back to retrieve his abandoned grocery. He puts everything in the boot before he slips into the driver’s seat, replying to a few important text messages that’s flooding his phone (still no news from Wonwoo, sadly).

His plan for the evening is slowly unfurling - he just needs to keep Jihoon away from the house just for a few more hours. His tummy growls at that moment, begging for food; and Soonyoung has the perfect cover - lunch.

“I’m hungry, Hoonie.”

“We have food.”

“That’s for the party!” Soonyoung looks scandalised at Jihoon’s idea. “Anyway, I’ve been dying to take someone to this seafood place, but I can’t take Won-won because he doesn’t eat seafood so I’ll just have to take you!”

Jihoon doesn’t have any say in the matter, and he’s hungry, anyway, so he goes along with Soonyoung’s idea. The place they’re heading to is in the opposite direction from home, and it turns out to be a nice place by the beach about a half hour’s drive away.

It’s around lunchtime when they arrive, so the seafood restaurant Soonyoung’s recommended is starting to fill up with people. Still, they manage to snag a table by the sea, letting the sun warm their faces amidst the cool ocean breeze. The azure waters of the Pacific glimmer under the sun, and Jihoon snaps a photo while Soonyoung sets up his camera on the table to document lunchtime. When the waitress arrives with the menu, Soonyoung simply orders a simple seafood salad, as opposed to Jihoon’s expectation that he’d probably order the whole menu - which all seem delicious - and a whole tank of lobsters. Jihoon raises an eyebrow at how less his best friend is eating; and Soonyoung smiles sheepishly, but doesn’t offer an explanation. Once the waitress leaves with their orders, Soonyoung suddenly goes off on a tangent about the cultural significance of regular sized samosas, which Jihoon barely listens to - he’s too busy imagining Seungcheol out in the open sea surfing the waves.

Throughout the meal, Soonyoung chatters non-stop about Wonwoo, occasionally pausing to check his phone secretly under the table. They take their time with lunch, enjoying the tasty food and relaxing atmosphere. It feels like the old times, just Jihoon and Soonyoung hanging out with each other, having a blast doing silly things; only under new circumstances, in a whole different country, and talking about new friends (read: love interests). It’s one of the rare times when Soonyoung’s not too overbearing with his antics, and Jihoon actually feels relaxed. Soonyoung even orders extra lemonade as they reminisce over their childhood; in no hurry to return home.

They finally leave the restaurant after three hours, and the drive back home is leisurely. Soonyoung’s singing along to some pop song on the radio, while Jihoon appreciates the leafy avenue, lined by palm trees. He likes the South Californian weather - the late afternoon sunshine makes him feel healthier than ever. Still, Jihoon’s worried that there won’t be enough time to prepare for Soonyoung’s party since they spent too long for lunch - it’s like Soonyoung’s trying to drag their outing longer, keeping Jihoon out of the house...

As they pull up to their house, there’s a bunch of people unloading platters from a van; which is one of many, parked along the street near their house. Strangers are entering and leaving the house, carrying some kind of equipment or other - it’s a flurry of business.

“Soonie, what’s going on?”

“Oh, look, the caterers are here. I need to tell them where to put the food.” Soonyoung bundles out of the car to greet the caterers, letting the engine run. Jihoon reaches over to switch it off, then grabs the grocery bags before catching up with Soonyoung.

A thought pops up in Jihoon’s head: if Soonyoung’s hired caterers for his party, why did they have to go through all the trouble for grocery shopping, especially to find his regular sized samosas? Soonyoung works in the weirdest ways, something that Jihoon can never comprehend; but things always go his way, lucky duck.

It’s organised chaos as they enter - whole teams working hard to spruce up the house for Soonyoung’s party. Some maids exit the house with their cleaning supplies, already done with their job - the place does look much cleaner than before; the floors polished so well that it sparkles. Jihoon remembers being eleven, standing in the marble foyer of Soonyoung’s family mansion, watching butlers in stiff suits hurry around to prepare for Soonyoung’s lavish birthday party. The whole set-up is almost as elaborate as the parties that Jihoon vaguely remembers from his childhood.

Soonyoung never does anything halfway; and to get so many people working for him at such short notice is a huge feat in itself. Getting Jihoon out of the house for a few hours had been part of his party plan, just in case he questions Soonyoung’s decisions. Soonyoung had been exposed to so many fancy parties thrown by his socialite parents when he was younger, and he had taken after them in that aspect. This is the first party he’d organised in years, having trotting the globe for the past year - the connections he’d built with so many people came in useful for help at the very last minute.

Soonyoung wants this party to be perfect, down to each tiny detail; so he can impress Wonwoo the same way he was impressed with their improvised movie premiere date in LA recently. Now that the party setup is almost done, Jihoon simply can’t say no to any of them. Not at the luxury catering service, nor the state-of-the-art music system booked just for the night. And especially not at the extra points of interior decorations Soonyoung had added in for good measure.

There’s a block of ice sitting in the middle of the hallway as they enter, and Jihoon gapes at it. “Is that a sculpture of a mermaid… made of ice?”

“It was supposed to be one of Won-won, but the company told me that they needed him to sit in for a modelling session. I mean, he can model, but then it wouldn’t be a surprise anymore.” Soonyoung says.

“Who are you even inviting to your party, anyway?”

“Oh, just a couple of people we know.” Soonyoung replies nonchalantly, which in Soonyoung-speak, means about ten million people that Jihoon doesn’t know would turn up to Soonyoung’s party, which seems to get fancier by the minute. “Is Jerry coming back with Cheol-hyung?”

“Dunno.” Jihoon shrugs, spying a couple of electricians fixing a disco ball on the ceiling of the living room.

“They’re both invited, but I don’t know if they know that they’re invited.” Soonyoung hadn’t gotten an RSVP from them; but they’d probably turn up anyway, especially Seungcheol.

“Do you want me to go and post the handwritten invitations?” Jihoon asks sarcastically, remembering Soonyoung’s family tradition - he’d gotten a bunch of fancy invitations to any party hosted by Soonyoung’s family over the years.

“I couldn’t find a calligrapher in time, so I’m spreading it by word of mouth. Adds to the mystique.” He’d actually texted everyone on his extensive contact list; the ones who lived closer to Malibu - about half of Los Angeles is probably coming tonight.

Soonyoung directs the caterers towards the kitchen, telling them exactly where to put the food, before peeking under each shiny silver dome with his camera. Each dish seems to be more extravagant, from various hors d'oeuvres to fancy salads to juicy steaks - Wonwoo’s favourite. Jihoon feels silly standing around with their grocery shopping, so he puts the bags on the floor, since there’s no more space on the kitchen island.

“Help me throw these in the oven, please.” Soonyoung digs around for the bags of frozen mini samosas he’d pestered Jihoon to buy earlier; and gives it to one of the catering staff. “It’s the centrepiece. And yes, it’s regular sized samosas, if you’re wondering.” The staff hurriedly does it, and Soonyoung wanders over to the living room, satisfied with the set-up in the kitchen; Jihoon closely following him.

A florist is finishing up the final touches of a ginormous flower arrangement in the living room. It’s an impressively large bouquet of sunflowers, dotted with tiny pink rosettes and violet orchids. Of course Soonyoung wouldn’t settle for only one centrepiece, he has to have two...or three. The electricians are now trying out the disco ball, flicking on a switch; and the glittery balls spins around lazily, sending shimmering light all over the room. Soonyoung smiles excitedly at the whole set-up, clapping his hands like a seal.

“Party tip, Hoonie - everyone remembers the little details. People are going to walk around town tomorrow talking about the sunflowers and the disco ball at my party!” Soonyoung laughs, before he dismisses the florist with a large tip and a grateful hug. There are a couple of invoices sitting on the table in the hallway, and Jihoon doesn’t want to know the total expenses for this party - it’d probably cost more than half a year’s worth of his salary.

“Oh, and the ice mermaid is going to get so much love, too. She’s gorgeous.” Soonyoung snaps a quick photo of the sculpture melting in the hallway.

Jihoon knows no one else who would throw a casual party with such extravagance, except for the Kwons. He’s starting to have a headache - nothing ever seems to be too much for Soonyoung. “Soonie. When you said ‘party’, I thought it meant having a few friends over with some snacks and cola and some music on.”

“We are going to have all that.” Soonyoung says. “In fact, I need you to compile a party mix for me right now.” He hands his laptop over to Jihoon, then bustles away after a bunch of caterers parading out of the kitchen, badgering them about the regular sized samosas.

“Fine.” It’s a chance for Jihoon to escape, and he takes it. “If you need me, Soonie, don’t.” He hurries upstairs, back to the safety of his bedroom.

“Just make sure that Bach is on the list!” Soonyoung calls out, before he gets swept away by the party preparations.

* * *

Jihoon blinks his eyes open, awakened rudely by the banging on his bedroom door. Outside the windows, the sun is setting, painting the sky with a mix of rose quartz and serenity. He’d locked the door for a bit of privacy from the world, trying to put together a playlist for Soonyoung’s party (he’d given up within the first five minutes, and decides to play all the songs in Soonyoung’s laptop on shuffle: a monstrous list that lasts for five years, and Jihoon sincerely hopes the party wouldn’t last as long). He didn’t realise that he’d dozed off for a few hours on his comfortable bed, having a dream that started off refreshingly with an ice-cream date with Seungcheol; but ended up to be borderline erotic when he had to lick ice-cream off various parts of Seungcheol’s body.

His dreams are getting a little too vivid, it’s scary. Deliciously, dangerously scary.

“Hoonie, open the door!” Soonyoung yells from the other side, knocking so incessantly that it seems like he’s trying to break the door down.

Annoyed to be disrupted from his fantasies, Jihoon stumbles away from the bed, and drags the door open to reveal a manic Soonyoung, his eyes wild.

“Won-won is coming!” Soonyoung pronounces breathlessly, entering Jihoon’s room to flop onto the messy bed. He mashes his face into Jihoon’s pillow, mumbling about something that Jihoon can’t comprehend.

Jihoon notices that Soonyoung’s ears are turning noticeably redder by the moment - this is probably their first time seeing each other again since their movie premiere date.

“Hoonie, I’m so nervous.” Soonyoung looks up to his best friend, pouting.

“Is everything prepared?” Jihoon asks calmly, though deep down, his heart is thumping too loudly, it’s almost deafening. He’s anxious at the idea of socialising with a bunch of strangers, even if the food might be delicious - he’d rather hide under his blankets with Seungcheol next to him.

Soonyoung nods vigorously; sweat beading on his forehead. “Caterers, barman, regular sized samosas...I should’ve invited the fire eater!”

“Think properly, Soonie; it’s too late for that.” Jihoon says, secretly glad that there wouldn’t be any sort of fire eating at the party.

“Should I wear my suit?” Soonyoung continues to wonder out loud.

The doorbell rings at the moment - guests are already arriving; there’s no time for wardrobe changes or mental breakdowns.

Jihoon quickly assesses Soonyoung’s outfit of an old T-shirt and shorts, with his tattered old sneakers on his feet - the unlikely host of the semi-glamorous party set up downstairs.

“You look fine, Soonie.”

“Are _you_ going to wear a suit?”

“Hell no.” Jihoon’s wearing just about the same thing as Soonyoung, only that he’s opting for slippers for an even more casual look. “Go say hello to your guests.”

Soonyoung nods, and automatically latches his hand on Jihoon’s arm; dragging him out of the room. There’s no way that he’s going to let Jihoon escape the party, not after all the preparation he’d done all day.

He’s mustering all his courage - he’d be in his element once the party starts, and hopefully he won’t be as nervous when he sees Wonwoo again. He’s Kwon Soonyoung, shameless traveller, and he’s always ready for an adventure; never afraid of anything.

“Wait, where’s my camera?” Soonyoung suddenly stops at the top of the stairs dangerously, and Jihoon bumps into him; the two of them almost toppling down the steps. He pulls Jihoon along with him as he searches for a spare video camera in his room - if this was a fancy dress party, they’d probably be Siamese twins, joined at the hip.

“You’re seriously going to film this party?” Jihoon tries not to roll his eyes as Soonyoung leads him downstairs.

Soonyoung nods, already recording - of course it goes without question: his life is a real-time documentary.

The doorbell rings again, and Soonyoung lets out a deep breath. Everything is all set - it’s time to blow the socks off society with his carefully planned party. He opens the door, revealing a lanky man wearing a beret and an expensive-looking outfit that would belong at New York Fashion Week, making Jihoon feel underdressed in shorts and slippers. It’s Soonyoung’s party, after all - of course all the big players, the trendsetters, would turn up. Behind the stylish man is an entourage of equally fashionable people, all dressed up with their smoky eye makeup and trendy ripped jeans and boots.

“Haohao!” Soonyoung wraps his arms around their first guest, who returns the hug. “Hoonie, this is Minghao, he dances with Bobby G.” Soonyoung introduces the newcomer for Jihoon’s convenience. “Bobby G’s not coming tonight?”

“Sends his apologies.” Minghao bows gracefully with a hand on his heart.

“Too bad, he’s missing out on all the fun!” Soonyoung laughs good-naturedly, as Minghao smiles to be polite. “Anyway, Haohao, I’d like you to meet my best friend since literally forever, Hoonie.”

Minghao bows again, and Jihoon returns the gesture, feeling oddly formal.

“Come on in! Have some food! There’s food in the kitchen and snacks in the living room, help yourselves.” Soonyoung invites them all inside, then starts a speedy introduction for each member of Minghao’s entourage for Jihoon as they sashay in; but it’s all a blur of names and faces for him - there’s no way he’s going to remember any of them. Jihoon smiles politely at everyone, holding in his breath nervously - these are people, beautiful people he’d never dare to strike up a conversation with.

“You brought the whole gang! Maybe we could have a dance battle?” Soonyoung cracks a joke, and everyone laughs. Minghao smirks in amusement as he notices Jihoon looking at him for about three seconds too long.

The doorbell echoes throughout the house again, and Soonyoung shoves Jihoon into the living room.

“Entertain our guests!” Soonyoung hisses, before flashing a saccharine smile to all the guests, who are staring at them expectantly. What do they want – for Jihoon to suddenly start doing magic tricks and conjure animals out of nowhere? He feels so tiny next to all these beautiful people, like he’s at the wrong place.

“Let me just put the music on…” Jihoon says, remembering that he’d left Soonyoung’s laptop (and the party mix) upstairs in his room.

“I should’ve hired a DJ.” Soonyoung huffs, before the opens the door again, loudly greeting the newly arrived guests with the biggest smile on his face - ever the friendly host. Jihoon rushes up the stairs, taking them two at a time - ten seconds into Soonyoung’s fancy party, and he’s already fleeing. He could ensconce himself in his room, and enjoy a quiet evening while everyone else parties downstairs. His bed is already beckoning, warm and comfortable.

“HOONIE!” Soonyoung yells up the stairs. “We need the music!”

Jihoon grabs the laptop and hurries downstairs, because what’s a party without music? There’s already a crowd swarming around the ice mermaid in the hallway, filming their Instagram stories.

Jihoon slips into the living room unnoticed, then hooks the laptop up to the sound system, selecting a random pop song, which gets a raucous cheer from Minghao’s dance troupe. As the guests start nodding along to the music, Jihoon takes the chance to search for Soonyoung - he can’t face these strangers alone without his best friend. 

Soonyoung’s in the kitchen with even more guests, all of them gaping at the handsome barman making cocktails at the counter.

“Hoonie, this is Brian, he’s gonna be mixing drinks for our party. But he’s also a bassist in a band, and he recently graduated from college with an economics degree.” Brian smiles at Soonyoung’s unnecessarily long introduction while he professionally mixes a drink. He does it swiftly, pouring drinks here and there with his fancy techniques, whipping up drinks for ten people at once.

“He made special cocktails for us, look!” Soonyoung points.

“This is a Soonie.” Brian hands Soonyoung an orange drink, garnished with orange peel; and starts describing it as Soonyoung takes a tentative sip. Soonyoung lights up as a tangy, sweet flavour hits his tongue, smacking his lips with satisfaction.

“And this is a Hoonie.” Brian pronounces, giving Jihoon a drink with a light pink tint to it, half a strawberry perched on the rim of the glass.

“It matches your hair!” Soonyoung immediately snaps a candid picture of Jihoon and his special cocktail.

Jihoon takes a swig of the cocktail, letting the alcohol mildly burn his throat. The sweetness is light, with notes of strawberry and kiwi, giving a pleasant aftertaste in Jihoon’s mouth.

“I’m gonna ask him to mix a Won-won.” Soonyoung requests, and Brian starts making a new drink; a green cocktail. Jihoon’s entranced by Brian’s elaborate way of pouring drinks, enjoying his Hoonie cocktail at the same time. He’s gaining a bit more confidence to face these fancy people as the alcohol seeps into his veins, his cheeks turning pinker.

Soon the party is in full swing, as more guests turn up at the party, helping themselves to the lavish food and drinks being served in the kitchen; and admiring the mermaid sculpture in the hallway.

Soonyoung takes the opportunity to introduce Jihoon to every single guest. Within fifteen minutes, he’s met every acquaintance Soonyoung has, including Vernon, the rapper who’d specially flown in all the way from New York for Soonyoung’s party. He’d been the one to introduce Seungcheol to Soonyoung, when the vlogger had been interested in surfing.

Vernon’s easy-going, bobbing his head to the songs playing on the sound system. He strikes up an easy conversation with Jihoon about music; describing the magic of composing and producing that draws Jihoon in further.

“Hoonie writes songs.” Soonyoung chips in, taking a swig of his drink - the tips of his ears are turning red, indicating that he’s slowly getting intoxicated. The camera in his hand has been replaced by a drink, which can magically replenish itself - Jihoon hadn’t seen Soonyoung go to the kitchen for refills.

Vernon looks at Jihoon with renewed respect at the mention of independent songwriting. “Woah, that’s cool! Can I listen to your material?”

“It’s nothing.” Jihoon looks down to his toes, feeling so insignificant compared to Vernon, who’s so young and so talented; and a rising rapper on the New York music scene.

Right then, a groovy tune begins to play on the speakers. “Oh hey, it’s my song.” Vernon laughs, recognising his own voice in the opening riffs.

“Vernon and Joshua did this song together!” Soonyoung says excitedly. Right then, Joshua himself arrives at the party, as if on cue, accompanied by his butler, Teddy, who Soonyoung had also invited. Soonyoung flounces over to them, gushing about the song playing on the speakers; leaving Vernon and Jihoon by the snacks.

They listen to the music, nodding along to the funky bass line. Vernon tells Jihoon the story of his collaboration with Joshua - his distant cousin Seungcheol had been the one to introduce him to Joshua, who’d just finished his pre-med course. It had been an unlikely combination, with their different music styles; but Vernon’s low rap complimented Joshua’s sweet voice nicely.

Only then Jihoon registers the relation between Vernon and Seungcheol; and he scans the room for the surfer, but to no avail - there’s just too many people. He knows Seungcheol would find him soon; so he tries to ignore the thrum of his heartbeat in his ears, listening to the music.

_[When I’m with you, wherever; pleasant music plays.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBxGdPk5X00) _

“This is a good song.” Jihoon says, appreciating each note, each beat.

“Thanks, man.” Vernon says, still itching to ask Jihoon about his self-written songs, but he doesn’t really get a chance to bring it up again - Minghao and his dance crew has just started a dance cypher; Soonyoung loudly egging them on. Everyone in the living room turns to watch, entertained by their dance moves. Soonyoung breaks out a few moves too, summoning his teenage dancer days back.

Jihoon and Vernon watch the cypher from the snack table; hyping all the dancers when they pull impressive moves. Eventually the dance battle ends, and the guests return to their small talk. 

“Honestly, Jihoon. If you wanna try a hand at producing, just hit me up. I know a few people in the business and I’d be glad to help you, too.” Vernon says, picking up where their conversation petered out earlier.

“Cool.” Jihoon nods, tucking the invitation in the back of his brain - he doesn’t think it’s likely, but it sounds nice. 

“The samosas are amazing!” Vernon says, picking one off a plate.

“They’re regular sized!” Soonyoung says proudly, popping out of nowhere - he’s practically everywhere, making everyone is comfortable at his party. “Not mini samosas. These are certainly regular sized samosas.”

“Right.” Vernon nods, helping himself to a whole platter. As he reaches for another samosa, his hand accidentally brushes against someone else’s; sending fluttery tingles down his spine.

The someone else is none other than Thomas, who’s been hanging around the snack table on his own all evening. Thomas freezes in his stance, like a deer caught in the headlights; stunned at the Dicaprio lookalike standing next to him eating samosas. He tries not to stare too long at the handsome stranger, who suddenly smiles at him, showing off his pearly whites in an adorable gummy smile. The rest of the world ceases to exist, everything around them melting away into a blur.

“Oh, sorry. You first.” Vernon lets Thomas pick a samosa off the plate first, being polite; before he takes one for himself. Thomas consciously chews slowly, trying to keep up a good image in front of the stranger, who’s watching him eat his samosa.

“The samosas are nice, right?” Vernon asks, popping yet another samosa into his mouth.

“I’m already addicted.” Thomas quips, and Vernon cracks up with laughter. Thomas smiles, glad that he just made a stranger laugh, but it’s not just any stranger - it’s a hot stranger with amazing light brown eyes, and floppy brown hair who’s effortlessly making his heart beat faster.

“I’m Thomas Boo.” Thomas introduces himself, sticking his hand out for a handshake.

“Vernon.” He takes Thomas’s hand, a gorgeous smile on his face.

They hold hands a little longer than necessary; and Thomas starts to blush, the heat from Vernon’s hand making him feel warm all over.

“Want another samosa?” Vernon motions to the samosa platter.

“Definitely.” Thomas smiles shyly, taking one from the plate.

Soonyoung smiles to himself, watching the whole exchange between Thomas and Vernon; and he finds it extremely adorable. It’s the beginning another love story that he’s witnessing right now, and he smiles to himself, being reminded of his first time meeting Wonwoo. He’d turned up on Soonyoung’s doorstep bearing pizza, the most romantic first encounter that Soonyoung could ever imagine.

“Let’s leave the lovebirds to themselves…” Soonyoung drags Jihoon away, keeping an eye out for Wonwoo, who’s late.

“Hey, Jerry.” Jihoon calls out, spying a familiar face in the crowd hanging around at the other end of the snack table.

“He’s called Jun now.” Soonyoung whispers - he’d gotten that little bit of new information on the grapevine.

“Hi...Jun.” Jihoon says awkwardly - the handsome man standing in front of him has always been Jerry to him, so he needs a bit of time to get used to the new name.

Jerry - Jun - grins at Jihoon, finally acknowledging him, holding a glass of soda. “It’s been a while, Jihoon. Do excuse my name change.”

“But why Jun, though?” Soonyoung asks.

Jun’s taken aback by Soonyoung’s random question, but he quickly composes himself. “Well, because I was born in June.”

Jihoon nods thoughtfully to appear polite, though he wants to laugh out loud; Jun’s serious expression stopping him from doing so. Jun nods back, munching on some chips, and Jihoon pops one in his mouth so that he doesn’t have to talk.

“Jun’s got a huge part in a new film!” Soonyoung blurts out, trying to overcome the slight awkwardness filling the air.

“Wow, that’s amazing. Congratulations.” Jihoon grins.

“Well, it’s inevitable - Hollywood’s bound to recognise a bit of talent.” Jun says, running his fingers through his professionally styled hair. He gives a little synopsis of the film; it’s an indie teen romance flick with supernatural elements, and Jun’s going to play a vampire in it.

“Good luck in your new movie, then.” Jihoon says cordially.

“I’ll invite you to the premiere.” Jun promises, inhaling some more potato chips - half the bowl’s already gone.

“Ooh, that sounds nice! Well, Hoonie and I gotta go and mingle; do enjoy the party!” Soonyoung pulls Jihoon away, through the slew of guests overpopulating the living room.

“That’s why he changed his name.” Soonyoung whispers. “He didn’t think Jerry would be a suitable name for a hot new actor.” Jihoon stifles a laugh at that little fact, as his best friend marches him towards the kitchen for more drinks; skirting around the ice mermaid in the hallway.

“Soon.” A deep voice calls out from behind them, and Soonyoung immediately knows who it is.

Even in his T-shirt and jeans, Wonwoo looks handsome - _so boyfriend_ , Soonyoung thinks. His round glasses are perched on the bridge of his nose, giving off that intelligent air that Soonyoung likes. 

“Won-won!” Soonyoung practically jumps into Wonwoo’s arms, knocking the glasses off his nose; before planting an unexpected sloppy kiss on Wonwoo’s lips.

Wonwoo’s surprised, but he holds Soonyoung tightly and kisses him back with the same heated passion, almost looking like a rated scene.

They’re both disgustingly in love, it makes Jihoon jealous, half wishing he’d be the same with Seungcheol. He sneaks away, heading off to the kitchen; letting the couple have their long-awaited reunion, giving them their private moment.

There are also as many people in the kitchen; hungry guests polishing off the luxury dishes. Brian’s slinging drinks in the middle of everything; a horde of admirers surrounding him. Jihoon grabs a sushi roll and a Hoonie; finding a corner for himself to ponder upon Soonyoung and Wonwoo’s whirlwind relationship.

If Soonyoung’s able to snag himself a boyfriend so quickly, then Jihoon can do so, too…if only he could find Seungcheol in this mess of a party.  

It’s getting late, and Seungcheol should already be here. Taking one last shot of his drink for courage, he steels himself to search for his surfer boy in the sea of people in the living room.

Jihoon spots Seungcheol almost immediately, sitting at the grand piano. He’s looking dapper in a khaki jacket and jeans, and Jihoon smiles to himself. His heart starts beating faster as he approaches Seungcheol, who noticeably lights up as he gets closer. Jihoon takes a seat next to the surfer, who makes space for him on the piano bench. 

“Hey, social butterfly.” Seungcheol smiles, leaning in for a quick peck on Jihoon’s cheek.

“Please.” Jihoon sighs, glad to finally see Seungcheol again. His face feels hot, surprised by Seungcheol’s straightforward greeting - he could feel the gentle brush of Seungcheol’s lips imprinted on his cheek.

“Cool party. Seems like everyone knows each other.” Seungcheol says, and Jihoon scans the guests socialising in the living room. It’s a casual setting with an elitist vibe, and Jihoon finds it comforting that he knows more than just one person in the room. Joshua’s in the middle of the living room - what seems to be the dance floor, under the glittery disco ball - teaching Chan how to walk on his hands. There’s Thomas by the snack table, whispering something into Vernon’s ear with a smile on his face; the pair hogging the samosa platter. And Jerry - Jun - is over in the corner, chatting with Minghao, a flirty smile on his face.

“And this drink is genius.” Seungcheol holds up a Hoonie, taking a swig. “I think I’ve had four.”

“How long have you been here?” If Seungcheol’s had four Hoonies, he must have arrived early, only Jihoon didn’t notice.

“Dunno, maybe a while ago? I was hanging out with Josh, he kept complaining about med school. Told him to watch that new Yoon Jeonghan movie; everyone knows he has a crush on him.” Seungcheol grins. “I couldn’t find you earlier, and I was kinda stuck with him.”

“It’s okay.” Jihoon smiles softly.

“I saw you talking to my cousin.” Seungcheol nods in Vernon’s direction.

“He’s nice.”

“He loves music so much; it’s his life. And he’s a smartypants; he can recognise a masterpiece from the first few seconds of a song. You can learn a lot from him.” Seungcheol says, a hint of pride in his voice.

Jihoon falls into deep thought hearing Seungcheol’s words, and he silently runs a hand over the gleaming piano keys. Vernon had offered to help him with music, opening up a door of opportunity to pursue what he loves the most.

He could stay here in Malibu and do nothing but write as many songs as he wants, but if he’s being realistic, he’s still got a job waiting for him in Seoul. It sounds so easy, to drop everything at once to pursue what his heart wants - music - but there are so many other factors to think of..

“It’d be cool if you work with him.” Seungcheol adds, then glances down at Jihoon, who’s contemplating his life choices.

Suddenly the party seems so insignificant; a temporary form of escapism. The more Jihoon thinks about it, this whole vacation is also an escape from his stressful life; and the things he’d done, the people he’d come to know here provided him a new perspective, one that showed him that there was happiness to be found everywhere, if you knew where to look for them. It didn’t have to be any major occurrence, simply spending time with Soonyoung and Seungcheol and the new friends he’d made let him become aware of his surroundings and appreciate all there is to life. But as much as he wants to stay in Malibu longer, sometime soon, he’s got to get back to reality. 

“Let’s go somewhere quiet.” Seungcheol says gently, sensing Jihoon’s silent worries. “You look like you could do with some fresh air.”

Jihoon lets Seungcheol guide him through the kitchen, and out the back door, away from the party. Thinking they’re alone, Seungcheol instinctively pulls Jihoon closer for a reassuring hug; but someone clears their throat, indicating their presence.

Teddy the butler is sitting on one of the lounge chairs on the back porch, reading a book; safely tucked away from the party. He’d accompanied his Young Master Joshua, but opted out from the rowdy activities inside, relaxing with a good book and a nice warm cup of coffee. 

“Good evening, Mr Choi, Mr Jihoon.” He gives them a knowing smile, adjusting his reading glasses.

“Just going for a walk, Teddy.” Seungcheol says, casually reaching out to hold Jihoon’s hand.

“I daresay that’s an excellent choice. Enjoy your walk.” Teddy returns to his book, sipping a warm cup of coffee. Seungcheol leads Jihoon down the steps to the beach, which seems a lot different compared to the daytime - there’s a mixture of calmness, romance and mysteriousness in the cool night air.

“I miss the beach.” Seungcheol sighs as they step onto the sand. Jihoon cracks a tiny smile, loving the way their fingers interlock like a perfect fit of jigsaws.

They walk towards the water, though the waves are receding far away from the shore, making the beach look wider. The calm, comfortable silence that falls over them makes Jihoon feel relaxed; all of his worries melting away. 

It’s a bit dark at night, and they automatically stop when the sand underneath their feet feels slightly damp. Seungcheol sits down on the sand first, and Jihoon follows. There’s a cool land breeze that blows towards out towards the sea, and Jihoon inches closer towards Seungcheol for a little bit of warmth.

The moon hangs low in the sky, casting a trail of light across the dark ocean, forming a rippling pathway that reached out into infinity and beyond. The party seems like eons away, though the low murmur of people from the house could still be heard amidst the peaceful swish of waves rolling in the distance, lapping gently against the shore.

“Have you ever tried surfing at night?” Jihoon asks out of curiosity.

“It’s a bit dangerous...but one time I went skinny dipping once around midnight…” Seungcheol lets out a little laugh. “N-not that I’m inviting you! Unless you wanna. Go skinny dipping, I mean.”

Jihoon ponders the idea for about five seconds - it’d be another addition to the list of wild things he’d attempted since coming to America.

“Nah, I’m good.” Jihoon hopes that the lowlight is enough to cover his blush.

“It’s a bad idea. Bad. I nearly froze my balls off back then.”

Seungcheol’s being extra nervous tonight, unlike his usual confident self. He’s wringing his hands, looking like he’s got something else to say. Something important…

“Guess what?”  Seungcheol exhales deeply. “No more casting calls for me.”

Jihoon glances at Seungcheol, who looks handsome even in the lowlight. The surfer lets out a happy sigh before meeting Jihoon’s eyes. That would mean… 

“I wanna stay here in Malibu. With you.”

“Wow.” Jihoon gazes out to the dark ocean; a vast body of uncertainty. He could hear the waves crashing against the shore; like the thoughts in his brain, colliding against each other, overanalysing the words Seungcheol had just said.

Spending more time with Seungcheol here in Malibu - a dream come true for Jihoon; but he’s suddenly scared. Did Seungcheol just give up his aspirations of becoming an actor just to spend more time with him? His heart slightly breaks for Seungcheol’s dreams, but Seungcheol himself looks at ease with the world, like he’d just made a decision he’ll never regret.

Jihoon’s trying so hard to banish all the negative what-ifs that’s popping up in his mind, choosing to focus on the present. Seungcheol wants to spend more time with Jihoon, and that’s just about what he wants right now, too.

Seungcheol’s not just anyone to Jihoon: he’d become someone so intergral in each other’s life; and they have a bond so precious, he doesn’t have the words to describe it properly…the only thing he’s sure of is that he doesn’t want to lose Seungcheol, ever.

“Jihoonie.” Seungcheol’s voice sounds like music, uttering the simple syllables of Jihoon’s name. Jihoon turns to meet Seungcheol’s dark and playful eyes; Seungcheol reaching out to pull Jihoon closer, resting his hands on Jihoon’s slender shoulders.

Without even saying another word, Seungcheol closes his eyes, and leans his forehead against Jihoon’s; his eyelashes tickling against Jihoon’s cheekbones. Jihoon’s not too sure what to do, and he squeezes his eyes shut, too, wondering what Seungcheol could be thinking about. His thoughts dissipate away; as he concentrates on Seungcheol’s presence, the warmth and intimacy of his touch.

They sit there quietly for a while, leaning their foreheads against each other’s; their breathing almost synchronised. Seungcheol’s grip on Jihoon’s shoulders becomes tighter, their noses slightly bumping.

“I’m trying to figure out what you’re thinking about.” Seungcheol says. “I have ESP.”

Jihoon smiles at the surfer’s lame attempt at a joke, peeking at him with one eye. Seungcheol still has his eyes tightly closed, looking as calm as ever; and Jihoon starts thinking hard about how much he really likes Seungcheol, thinking about three little words over and over again, echoing in his mind louder than a gong, but far from the tip of his tongue.

_I love you._

Those three little words, so simple yet so significant, resounding in Jihoon’s brain like a drum in its own rhythm. It surprises Jihoon at how natural it seems, reserving those three little words for someone so precious, who’s sitting in front of him right now, trying to guess what he’s thinking with his alleged ESP…

Jihoon sincerely hopes that Seungcheol would feel the same amount of overwhelming love that he’s feeling with all of his heart.

“It looks like you’re thinking really hard.” Seungcheol moves back slightly, gazing at Jihoon’s focused expression with a tiny smile.

Jihoon opens his eyes once more, the tips of his ears turning redder by the moment. His heartbeat’s too loud, people from across the ocean could probably hear it. Isn’t it obvious how much Jihoon is besotted with Seungcheol?

Choi Seungcheol, dreamy surfer boy who effortlessly makes Jihoon feel giddy with fluffy (not dirty) thoughts all day long.

Choi Seungcheol, who’d literally saved his life.

Choi Seungcheol, who took care of Jihoon even when he never asked for it.

Choi Seungcheol, who reminded him of the songs he used to sing, reuniting him with music.

Choi Seungcheol, who Jihoon loves the most in this whole wide world.

Jihoon cups Seungcheol’s face in his hands, drawing him closer. There’s a hint of a smile on Seungcheol’s lips, as if he’s anticipating Jihoon’s next move.

“I… I don’t know how to tell you this…” Jihoon starts, failing to find the correct words to express himself. Seungcheol’s dark brown eyes give him reassurance; waiting patiently for Jihoon’s next words.

But Jihoon’s never been good with articulating - he almost wishes that Seungcheol could’ve read his mind earlier to he knows what Jihoon feels. His gaze flicks down to Seungcheol’s soft lips, automatically drawn to them, inching closer.

His feelings for Seungcheol are true - no more words needed. Without hesitation, Jihoon does what he should’ve done in the swimming pool a few days ago: he slips his eyes shut, he leans in and kisses Seungcheol.

It’s the moment they’ve been waiting for a lifetime – their lips touch lightly at first, almost hesitant. It’s the gentlest of touches; soft and tender, and it feels right.

Seungcheol’s taken by surprise, with Jihoon making the first move; but he doesn’t waste any more time, pulling Jihoon closer, and kissing him back with increased passion.

Jihoon relishes in the sweetness of Seungcheol’s lips, which taste like strawberries. He lets his instincts take over, loving the way how soft Seungcheol’s mouth is against his; how every touch sends thrills down to his toes. There’s a sense of urgency in Seungcheol’s touch, their light kisses turning deeper, almost reflecting the whole turn of their relationship - a thing that started off innocently, blooming into something much more passionate.

A first kiss that translates into what they feel for each other - a magical feeling that’s indescribable, but one thing’s for sure: Jihoon loves Seungcheol, and he’s sure that Seungcheol loves him too. 

Jihoon pulls away too quickly, his breath ragged, overwhelmed by the heat of the moment. The second he does, he regrets it - he wants to keep on kissing Seungcheol forever; and he hangs his head down.

“That was amazing.” Seungcheol smiles. “You’re amazing.”  Jihoon doesn’t need to say it anymore - Seungcheol already knows what he wants to say.

Seungcheol naturally puts a hand on Jihoon’s nape, his fingers lightly brushing against the tips of Jihoon’s pink hair. He tilts Jihoon’s chin up so their eyes meet. Seungcheol takes a second to appreciate the beauty of Jihoon’s vulnerability - he’d laid his heart out with that single kiss, and Seungcheol is ready to accept it.

“Again.” Seungcheol says, his voice husky. He’s already pulling Jihoon back into his strong arms, unwilling to let go.

Jihoon nods once, closing his eyes; this time letting Seungcheol lead.

His little rosebud lips slightly part to receive Seungcheol; who delves into an earth-shattering kiss that leaves Jihoon desperately wanting more, his fingers pulling onto every inch of Seungcheol that he can, trying to draw him as close as possible. 

And at that moment, nothing else in the world matters anymore.

* * *

“How long have they been making out?” Wonwoo asks.

“Half an hour! Should I throw a condom outside, just in case?” Soonyoung replies, his voice barely above a whisper. The pair are in Soonyoung’s bedroom, peeking out from a window that provided a marvellous view of the beach; and the two dark silhouettes of Jihoon and Seungcheol pressed up against each other in a long-lasting, passionate make out session.

Wonwoo feels dirty, like he’s intruding on a private moment between the couple, and he can’t even stop Soonyoung from filming it for the past hour. He walks away from the window and sits on the bed, in deep thought, trying to organise his thoughts. He’d requested for a private moment with Soonyoung, away from the raging party downstairs; and they’d been here for almost an hour, sitting around doing nothing – his plans haven’t been put into motion yet; since Soonyoung gets distracted too easily.

“Stop spying on them, Soon. Sit here.” Wonwoo commands. Soonyoung abandons his camera and goes over to sit next to Wonwoo on the bed.

The party is still going strong downstairs, but the guests don’t even realise that their host is missing. They’d been up here for a while, flirting, until Soonyoung happened to see Jihoon and Seungcheol kissing on the beach from the window, which he simply had to film for his archives.

Wonwoo clears his throat, his heart thumping in his chest. He’d thought a lot about Soonyoung during the drive from San Francisco; coming down to a single realisation, an important decision. “I’ve got something to tell you.”

“Me, too.” Soonyoung says, finally remembering why he’d thrown a party in the first place. He feels a little tipsy after all the cocktails he’d drunk throughout the evening; but Wonwoo’s serious expression pulls him back to the present, putting a little bit of weight to his words.

“So.”

“You go first.” Soonyoung says.

“No, you go ahead.”

There’s a beat of silence as they both hesitate to say what’s on their minds. Soonyoung smiles widely, his mochi cheeks in full force, trying to stifle a giggle at the awkwardness of the situation. Wonwoo can’t help but smile at how precious Soonyoung looks, trying hard not to reach out and poke his soft cheeks.

They’re sitting close enough that their knees knocking against each other’s; letting silence fill the air. Soonyoung chances a glance at Wonwoo, quickly thanking his lucky stars for letting him meet someone who understands him and holds a special place in his heart - no one could ever replace Wonwoo.

Likewise with Wonwoo, who’s gathering all his courage to say the words he’d rehearsed in his head, ready to lay his heart out for Soonyoung.

Both of them can sense that the atmosphere is getting heavier; they’re almost scared of where things would go next. The seconds tick by, their words hanging in the air. 

Wonwoo exhales deeply, reaching out to hold Soonyoung’s hand, a reassuring touch for both of them. “Okay. Let’s just say it out together.”

“On three?” Soonyoung asks, to which Wonwoo agrees.

_One, two, three…_

“I love you.”

“Marry me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe
> 
> cue outro: [ marry you - bruno mars](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlv1rdcpS9M)
> 
> -
> 
> guys thank you for reading this :') i'm sorry for ghosting for months, i've been so lethargic lately sighs work sighs life but!! this was fun to write even though i had major block throughout too huhu
> 
> ANYWAY feedback would be fun, talk to me in the comments i want some love too haha :p


	31. canon in d / vegas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter title from: [ vegas - all time low ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_wVvkRyIWw)
> 
> sorry this update took a while  
> (i keep apologising between updates ><)

The last time Jihoon had slept over at Seungcheol’s messy bachelor pad, he’d been extremely drunk, waking up the next day wrapped up in Seungcheol’s blue blanket, accompanied by a stinking hangover and a piercing headache that lasted for decades. Back then, Seungcheol had been the one who’d nursed Jihoon back to life, easing the after effects of Jihoon’s thoughtless drinking the night before, even though they’d barely been acquaintances - simply a surf instructor and his student, bound into an unlikely situation that brought out the best of humanity in the form of Choi Seungcheol.

How time flies, and so many things have changed since then: fast forward a month later, and Jihoon finds himself waking up in Seungcheol’s apartment, though in a drastically different situation compared to the first time. Of course, after last night, they’d never simply have that student-teacher relationship anymore, having danced around the idea of friendship and romance for a while now. Jihoon blinks as he slowly wakes up, delightfully surprised to have Seungcheol’s arms loosely wrapped around his waist; the both of them nestled under warm blankets.

It’s morning, but the room is dark - the South Californian sunshine outside blocked by the blinds. Jihoon’s still sleepy; but he slightly pivots his head to glimpse Seungcheol’s peaceful sleeping face. In the lowlight, Jihoon can barely trace out Seungcheol’s side profile, whose long eyelashes fan out over his cheeks as sleeps with his lips slightly apart. Waking up in the arms of the person he loves the most in the whole wide world thrills him to no end, and a tiny smile forms on his face as he lightly runs his fingers over Seungcheol’s bare chest and shoulders, circling the little spots that are turning an unfavourable shade of purple. Maybe he’d gotten a bit too wrapped up in the heat of the moment last night - Seungcheol’s little moans encouraged him furthers as he nipped every bit of skin he could reach, before they fell together onto the bed in an intimate tangle of limbs and kisses, exploring every inch of each other’s body.

Seeing the little bruises on Seungcheol’s tanned skin gives Jihoon a teeny bit of possessive satisfaction - it would be safe to say that yes, they’re officially together now.

As much as Jihoon wants to stay in bed and watch Seungcheol sleep, he’s got the sudden urge to pee. He could stay here in bed cuddling with Seungcheol, but his bladder is about to burst, and wetting the bed isn’t kinky at all. Untangling himself from Seungcheol’s arms, Jihoon leaves the comfort of the bed, but not before he gives the sleeping Seungcheol a quick peck on the lips. His backside feels a little sore as he pads his ways towards the bathroom, picking out a path through the clothes carelessly strewn all over the floor.

Jihoon quickly does his business in the toilet, already thinking about cuddling in bed for the rest of the day with Seungcheol. He remembers to wash his hands - good hygiene goes a long way - and gargles some of Seungcheol’s antibacterial mouthwash to rid of the halitosis that haunts him every morning. He feels relaxed; like all the burden and worries of his life has been taken away, cured by the sand and surf of Malibu.

Jihoon takes a moment to stare at his reflection in the bathroom mirror - gone are the worry lines between his eyebrows, courtesy of the perpetual frown he wore at his stressful accounting job an ocean away. It seems surreal that he’s been gone for a while now - his life in Seoul seems like a lifetime away, and Jihoon wouldn’t mind dropping it all in a heartbeat. The bright California sun has given him a slight tan (maybe a sunburn at some point, too); his jawline a little softer at the edges, all thanks to good nutrition.

To put it simply, this impromptu prolonged trip has given him all the things he wanted - happiness, health, and the most unexpected of them all: love. Jihoon smiles at his reflection in the mirror - for once in his twentysomething years of living, he’s content.

Once he’s done thanking all of his lucky stars for the relaxed life he’s been enjoying here in Malibu, Jihoon leaves the bathroom, longing to get back to bed. He accidentally slams the bathroom door shut, surprising himself; and his gaze quickly flicks over to the bed - surely a sound that loud would have disrupted Seungcheol’s slumber.

Under the covers, Seungcheol’s slowly stirring awake, realising that Jihoon’s gone from the bed. He props himself up, his eyes barely open; looking around for his missing partner as he scratches his head, which makes his bedhead even ~~sexier~~ messier. Suddenly feeling self-conscious about being in his birthday suit in front of Seungcheol (though it clearly hadn’t been a problem last night), Jihoon picks up a random article of clothing from the floor, hurriedly dragging it over his head to cover himself up.

“Who told you to get dressed?” Seungcheol teases in his deep morning voice, which sends goosebumps along Jihoon’s arms.

Seungcheol’s had his fair share of good mornings, especially recently, which all involved Jihoon; but this is the best one yet - the excellent view of a butt-naked Jihoon wearing nothing but an oversized T-shirt which hangs midway to his milky thighs, and clearly doesn’t belong to him.

Jihoon blushes profusely, tugging at the hem of the borrowed shirt. He stands frozen in his spot, appreciating how sexy Seungcheol looks when he’s just woken up: messy bedhead, his muscular chest marked by little hickeys, and his naughty bits covered up by the blankets. Jihoon’s heart starts racing - if this is going to be a daily occurrence, he’s not sure if he can get used to it...

“Come here.” Seungcheol beckons Jihoon back to bed with a wiggle of a finger.

Jihoon totters over shyly, aware that Seungcheol is watching his every move. Climbing onto the bed, Jihoon automatically straddles Seungcheol, focusing on the beautiful person lying underneath him that he doesn’t realise that the giant T-shirt he’s wearing is riding up his back, exposing his backside. Only the sheets are separating them, and Seungcheol reaches out to pull Jihoon closer, his fingers lightly caressing over Jihoon’s backside before they disappear under Jihoon’s shirt.

Jihoon leans in and kisses Seungcheol’s slightly parted lips, smiling. Good morning kisses have never been better, and the pair make out for a few breathless moments, getting tangled between the sheets; hands roaming wild over each other’s skin.

Seungcheol rolls on top of Jihoon, pinning him down to the bed, breaking their liplock to look at Jihoon’s euphoric expression. His eyes hold a longing gaze, even this early in the morning, prepared to ravish Jihoon the way he did last night. He gently palms Jihoon’s chest, then delicately teases his nipple, to which Jihoon lets out a low moan. Seungcheol’s lips meets Jihoon’s once more another passionate kiss, moving against each other in a sloppy manner; though Seungcheol quickly pulls away after a few seconds, leaving Jihoon confused and wanting more.

“I’ll be right back.” Seungcheol says with a smile, hopping off the bed; and he heads off to the adjacent bathroom.

Jihoon watches Seungcheol’s perky derriere as he leaves; settling back against the fluffy pillows. He lets out a happy little sigh, relieving back the memories from last night - from Soonyoung’s party to their midnight beach confession, then they’d taken their little private after party to Seungcheol’s apartment, which involved a whole lot of kissing and fondling that Jihoon’s even done in his twentysomething years of living.

Amidst the memories of getting hot and heavy with his new boyfriend, Jihoon takes a second to think about his best friend Soonyoung, who he hasn’t seen since last night’s party.

Nah, Soonyoung would be fine, since he’d probably be somehwhere with Wonwoo. Jihoon doesn’t need his nosy best friend to ruin his intimate moment with Seungcheol, so he closes his eyes and snuggles under the warmth of the blankets, thinking of nothing but Seungcheol.

Right then, a mobile phone rings from somewhere within the clothes on the floor, and Jihoon instantly knows that it’s Seungcheol’s phone. It’s probably tucked into a pocket, slightly muffled underneath all the fabric. Jihoon’s too comfortable to even move a muscle, as he deliberates about picking up the call to rid of the nuisance, but the ringing stops after a few more seconds.

Jihoon barely enjoys a few seconds of serene silence when Seungcheol’s phone blares again from its hiding place on the floor. It’s the default ringtone, reminding Jihoon of the snooty high-powered executives at his job, looking all busy with their endless calls. The incessant ringing starts getting to Jihoon’s nerves, and he’s got half a mind to crawl out of bed so he could smash the phone and make it stop ringing. Instead, he closes his eyes and drags the blanket over his head to block the ringing out. It goes on like a loop, stopping for a few seconds before starting again, like some kind of real-life nightmare for Jihoon, and he wishes that Seungcheol would appear soon, switch off his phone and continue cuddling with him for the rest of the morning.

“Hey, Jihoonie?”

Jihoon peeks from under the blanket, to see Seungcheol standing in the doorway of the bathroom, brushing his teeth. He’s got a towel wrapped around his waist (much to Jihoon’s relief and disappointment), and his eyebrows are slightly raised, surprised to find Jihoon hiding underneath the covers.

And of course, the bloody phone is still ringing.

“Is that my phone?”

“Probably.” Jihoon mumbles, knowing full well that his own phone is dead by now; besides, he’d personalised his own ringtone, trying to be a bit different from everyone else who still uses the generic one.

Seungcheol takes a look at the mess of clothes on the floor and at moment, the ringing stops. “It’s not important, I guess. Just leave it.” He disappears back into the bathroom to finish up his business.

Two seconds later, Seungcheol’s phone rings again, but this time, Jihoon is prepared, pouncing from the bed straight to the floor; quickly locating the device. He finds it in Seungcheol’s shorts pocket - the ones he wore last night - and Jihoon clutches it in triumph, ready to snap at whoever’s calling this early in the morning.

There’s one name on the caller ID: Soonyoung.

What the hell.

Just as Jihoon answers the phone, Soonyoung hangs up the line. “Idiot.”

It’s too early for his best friend to prank call people, specifically his boyfriend, at that! Jihoon jabs the screen to call Soonyoung back, prepared to give him a piece of his mind; when the device vibrates with a notification, indicating an incoming message.

It’s from Soonyoung; brief and cryptic - which doesn’t sound like Soonyoung at all.

The string of numbers and letters on the screen doesn’t make sense to Jihoon, and he cracks his head trying to decipher it, his lips pulling into a little noot. It seems like Soonyoung is playing some kind of stupid game, probably still riding from the high of last night’s party.

Seungcheol reenters the room to find a half-naked Jihoon sitting on the floor, pouting at his phone, surrounded by last night’s clothes. He stifles a laugh and grins to himself, thinking how absolutely adorable Jihoon looks, especially with the wide collar of the shirt he’s wearing is exposing his collarbones, and Seungcheol wants to lean in and suck on Jihoon’s milky white skin.

“Why are you on the floor?” Seungcheol kneels next to Jihoon, keeping a grip on the towel around his waist. Jihoon looks at him with a confused look, handing over the mobile phone back to its rightful owner.

Seungcheol quickly skims over the messages from Soonyoung, then he frowns. “What’s this about?”

Jihoon doesn’t know, either, so he simply shrugs. Besides, he’s getting distracted by Seungcheol’s pecs - he could just reach out and touch them…

“I think he’s in trouble.” Seungcheol pronounces. Looking back at the messages - which is the opposite of Soonyoung’s typical bubbly, emoji-laden texting style - it does seem a little off-putting…

The colour drains away from Jihoon’s face, making him as white as a sheet of paper - he’d always thought that Soonyoung, with his trust fund that has infinite zeroes, and overall careless manner, was a prime target for abduction. The news just had to break on the morning after Jihoon had gotten together with the love of his life, robbing them of more warm cuddles and other intimate things, thoughts of which fly out of Jihoon’s mind instantly, replaced by worry for the safety of his best friend.

Seungcheol helps Jihoon sit on the edge of the bed, as they collect their own thoughts. “I think these are coordinates.” The surfer says quietly.

“Is that where they’ve taken him?”

“Probably.” Seungcheol nods solemnly, casting his phone aside.

“Should we call the cops?”

Seungcheol pulls Jihoon into his arms, giving him a reassuring hug. “Not yet. I’m sure Soonyoung’s giving the kidnappers hell right now. Besides, they didn’t ask for ransom or anything.”

“What if they’re dangerous?” Jihoon mumbles into Seungcheol’s chest. His dream rom-com life turned into a potentially dangerous hostage situation, just by a couple of text messages; but being here in Seungcheol’s arms calms him down.

“We’ll follow their instructions and go to wherever the coordinates point. We need to make sure that Soonyoung is okay.”

“Alright.” There are no thoughts in Jihoon’s mind, just that Seungcheol is right here next to him, half-dressed; while his best friend has possibly been kidnapped.

Nope, nothing to worry about.

Seungcheol dips closer towards Jihoon, capturing his lips for a quick kiss. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Jihoon can’t think properly this early in the morning, with all the stress kicking in - he’d do whatever people tells him to do. If Seungcheol tells him it’s all going to be fine, then it will be. He leans his head against Seungcheol’s with his eyes closed for a few seconds, exhaling deeply. He slowly opens his eyes, meeting Seungcheol’s concerned irises; and he smiles. “Thanks, Cheol.”

“C’mon. Let’s go take a shower first. We can sort things out after.” Seungcheol says with a sly smile, interlocking his fingers with Jihoon’s, pulling him into the bathroom.

 

 It’s about an hour later when Seungcheol and Jihoon are finally decent, having spent a little longer than expected in the shower together.

Jihoon stands in the middle of Seungcheol’s apartment, wearing a fresh outfit courtesy of Seungcheol’s wardrobe - the shirt and shorts combo he’s wearing practically swallow his small frame, being a couple of sizes too big for him. He taps his foot anxiously as he checks the time, guilt washing over him for spending a while in the shower with his boyfriend, especially when his best friend’s life is on the line…

It’s almost ten o’clock in the morning, two hours before the deadline set by the sender of the suspicious text message. Seungcheol’s almost done getting ready, dressed in a tightly fitting muscle tee that shows off his pecs in all the right places; looking like the poster boy for Surfers Paradise. Jihoon takes a second to appreciate them, shamelessly staring (well, he should be allowed to ogle his own boyfriend); as Seungcheol shoots him a smile, signalling that he’s ready to leave, his keys and wallet in hand.

As Seungcheol locks his apartment, worry piles up in Jihoon’s overthinking brain - they’re really diving into this head first, going to a possibly dangerous place without any backup. Part of him finds it sexy, how Seungcheol had easily decided for them to go where Soonyoung is, thought he hates the recklessness of diving into it without proper planning. Who knows what awaits them at the location Soonyoung had sent them: Soonyoung tied up and gagged, held hostage like a scene out of an action movie; or Soonyoung all safe and sound, laughing at them for panicking for no reason.

But the message sitting in Seungcheol’s inbox bothers him. Soonyoung would never hide anything from the world, announcing his doings and whereabouts everywhere on the internet - which was probably how the kidnappers had found him…

If only Jihoon’s phone isn’t dead. He could check if Soonyoung had called or texted him, so he could shake away the uneasy feeling in his gut. He feels nauseous simply thinking about his best friend in trouble, but the feeling eases away when Seungcheol reaches out to hold his hand, intertwining their fingers.

Everything’s gonna be alright, Jihoon thinks, gripping Seungcheol’s hand tightly as they leave the apartment. Seungcheol casts a glance at Jihoon, who looks extremely uneasy, so he clutches Jihoon’s hand tighter in reassurance.

The pair bundle into Seungcheol’s Jeep, which is parked by the side of the road near Seungcheol’s building. The mid-morning sun blazes brightly above their heads, a couple of fluffy clouds parading the sky - just the perfect weather to go on a wild goose chase for a certain Kwon Soonyoung.

Jihoon immediately plugs his phone into the dashboard to charge, as Seungcheol punches the coordinates from the text message into his GPS. It doesn’t take long to load: a few seconds later, the lilting, generic voice of the GPS welcomes them, showing a trail on the map that leads out of California.

308 miles away, to be exact.

“Las Vegas?” Jihoon blinks at the device, as the robotic voice of the GPS starts directing them on where to go.

“Well, we’re never going to make it there by noon.” Seungcheol exhales sharply, rechecking the GPS coordinates he’d entered, thinking he’d made a mistake. It would take them at least four to five hours of driving without stopping to get to Sin City.

“Isn’t Vegas in a whole other state?” Jihoon asks, and Seungcheol nods in confirmation as he reboots the GPS, and enters the coordinates once more, only to come up with the same results.

“If we’re going that far, I guess I’d better fuel up.” He drives to a nearby gas station, while Jihoon sits anxiously in the passenger seat, waiting for his phone battery to charge so he could switch it on and check his messages.

It’s typical of Soonyoung, to city-hop at a moment’s notice, but there’s also the possibility of abduction by some evil Vegas mobster – Jihoon’s mind is really playing up the worst-case scenarios.

While Seungcheol fuels up the car, Jihoon impatiently powers up his phone, tapping his foot anxiously. There’d better be a good reason for them to drive all the way to Las Vegas, and Jihoon’s expecting to find answers.

Jihoon’s phone starts vibrating like mad with the incoming flood of notifications: there’s a million missed calls from Soonyoung - typical of him, the king of spamming, just as he’s accustomed to do when Jihoon goes off without him. Jihoon scrolls through all the call logs - there’s been a call from Soonyoung every fifteen minutes between last night and the time Soonyoung had contacted Seungcheol - which makes Jihoon think that it’s less likely that Soonyoung has been kidnapped, judging from his usual clinginess.

He speed dials Soonyoung, but the first two tries go unanswered. Only when Jihoon’s about to give up on the third time, Soonyoung answers, sounding as chipper as always.

“Hoonie!”

Jihoon lets out a huge sigh of relief. “You’re alive. I don’t need to prepare any ransom, do I?”

“What?” Over the line, Soonyoung sounds distracted. “Yes, Won-won is very handsome!”

That last line confirms that Soonyoung is perfectly fine.

Or drunk.

At least he hasn’t been kidnapped, so Jihoon can stop worrying himself to death.

“What are you doing at a pancake diner in Las Vegas?” Jihoon eyeballs the GPS on the dashboard, with points at Soonyoung’s exact location.

A pause from Soonyoung’s side. “…I just wanted pancakes?”

Jihoon facepalms, as Seungcheol slides back into the driver’s seat, bearing an armful of snacks. “Who’s with you?”

“Won-won, of course.” Soonyoung giggles. “And Minghao.”

Just like Jihoon and Seungcheol had their own little after party at Seungcheol’s surfer pad; but Soonyoung one-upped him, taking his after party all the way to Sin City instead.

“So are you coming?” Soonyoung asks, sounding hopeful. Jihoon glances at Seungcheol, as if searching for an answer in the surfer’s face; but he’s busy opening a bag of chips.

This isn’t the first time that Soonyoung’s giving him a big headache, so he straightens out his thoughts:

  1. He’d rather stay here in Malibu and cuddle (or more) with Seungcheol.
  2. But he’s never been to Vegas.
  3. And what if Soonyoung does something stupid, like gamble away his inheritance?
  4. Plus, Seungcheol’s all prepared for the long trip ahead – the car’s all fuelled up, and he’s got snacks, too… is that a bottle of cola?



“Fine. But we’ll be late.” Jihoon decides, staring at the cola bottle sitting securely between Seungcheol’s thighs, as Seungcheol still struggles with opening the bag of chips.

“Yay! We’re waiting for you guys.” Jihoon can imagine the wide grin on his best friend’s face, hearing the excitement in his voice.

“Bye.” Jihoon hangs up abruptly. He turns to Seungcheol, who gives up on opening the chips. “False alarm. Soonyoung is safe and sound.”

“That’s good to hear.” Seungcheol says, as Jihoon takes the snack packet from him. “Can’t blame him for wanting to have a bit of fun in Vegas.”

Jihoon tears open the bag of chips in one try. With a smirk, he exchanges the snack for his all-time favourite beverage with Seungcheol. “I got cola for you.”

Jihoon lights up, his eyes sparkling - Seungcheol’s definitely the most thoughtful boyfriend ever to exist on the face of the earth, noting all his favourite things, even if he never really emphasised on them in the first place.

“Ready to hit the road?” Seungcheol ignites the engine, navigating the car towards the main road.

Jihoon twists the bottle open - nothing better for breakfast than a nice, cold drink of fizzy cola. “Can we just stay here?”

He knows it’ll take a while to drive to Vegas, based off the sheer distance that the GPS had mapped out; but he’d rather spend that time with Seungcheol indoors, doing whatever new couples do.

But it seems like Seungcheol quite likes the idea of going to Vegas, his eyes shining with hope. “C’mon. When else are you gonna get the chance to go to Vegas at a moment’s notice?”

Probably never, Jihoon thinks. This reminds him of the way he’d left his life in Seoul, joining Soonyoung on his globe-trotting adventures in Los Angeles. Everything that he does on impulse is always from Soonyoung’s influence, which usually requires him to leave his comfort zone. But the experience he gets from it is priceless. (And if Jihoon had stayed in Seoul for his mind-numbing job, he’d probably never meet the love of his life on the golden beaches of Malibu.)

Jihoon finds that Seungcheol’s puppy dog eyes are difficult to resist, too, so he relents. “Fine, we’ll go to Vegas.”

Seungcheol breaks out into a happy, dimpled smile; which makes Jihoon’s heart skip a beat. He starts the car engine, slowly pulling out of the gas station towards the main road. “You’ll have a lot of fun. I’ll make sure of it.”

From the coast, they drive inland, heading towards the canyons, according to the GPS. With nothing else to do, Jihoon sits back and scarfs down the bag of chips, occasionally feeding Seungcheol who would naughtily lick the flavouring off Jihoon’s fingers.

The road gradually widens into a dual carriage freeway as they traverse suburban Los Angeles, heading east. The freeway stretches into infinity up ahead, with confusing intersections that look like rollercoaster tracks, looping over and under and left and right, making Jihoon feel nauseous just by looking at them. They would’ve gotten lost if not for Seungcheol’s trusty GPS -  a single wrong turn would set off the correct route, and the complicated American roads would make it difficult for them to get back on track quickly.

Seungcheol tells Jihoon about the first time he’d gone to Vegas with a group of friends during his senior year in college, a week before finals. Surprisingly, it had been sensible Joshua’s idea, stressed out with his physiology finals, so he’d rounded up a bunch of his friends, including Seungcheol, hauled them into a car and drove straight to Sin City with nothing but loose change in their pockets and three cases of cheap booze in the trunk.

Reminiscing his college days gives Seungcheol a sense of deja vu; heading to Vegas on such short notice. But this time, he doesn’t know what to expect from Soonyoung’s invitation - anything could happen in Vegas: glitzy casinos and numerous themed hotels and the biggest buffets that could serve a whole country. As students, they’d been on the cheaper side of Vegas, but it had been quite the experience being in a city known for its notoriety. 

“Did it involve strip clubs?” Jihoon asks curiously, neatly cutting into Seungcheol’s anecdote.

Seungcheol hesitates in his reply. “…yes. It was Josh’s idea, of course.” He adds quickly, stealing a glance at Jihoon, who’s already crossing his arms, casting his gaze out the windows. “Not that there was anything interesting to see in it; I remember that it was really dark.”

“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, Cheol.” Jihoon quirks an eyebrow up, turning to look at his boyfriend.

“Right.” Seungcheol swallows, then turns his focus back on the road.

Listening to Seungcheol’s story makes Jihoon slightly excited for Vegas - of course, he’d seen the place in films and on the television; but the idea of actually going there thrills him. He’d be able to see for himself, what makes Vegas, Vegas… a few hours from now.

As they run out of conversation, Jihoon starts to sing along to the radio, even though he barely knows the lyrics to whatever is playing. Seungcheol turns the volume up for Jihoon, smiling to himself - Jihoon has the voice of an angel; it’s effortless for him to sound so good.

Buildings turn into foliage as they leave the city limits, clumps of grass scattered on sandy soil replacing the concrete jungle of Los Angeles. Sprawling plains, scenic against the backdrop of a brilliant blue sky; the sun shining like spotlight, picture perfect for a postcard. The country looks vast, with no tall buildings around, only rolling green grass that reaches out to the horizon.

Seungcheol lowers the volume of the stereo when he notices that Jihoon’s napping, little snores escaping his lips. They’re not even halfway out of the state, so Seungcheol lets Jihoon sleep, entertaining his own thoughts instead.

Things had been going by in a flash since last night, when Jihoon had kissed Seungcheol on the beach, with the moon as their witness. He didn’t expect it - but he’d certainly thought of it, dreaming of Jihoon’s little rosebud lips, even now -

From acquaintance to friends to lovers, the nature of their relationship had grown comfortably over time, Jihoon opening up to Seungcheol more every time they met. A smile creeps onto his face when he thinks about Jihoon - he’d never encountered anyone as adorable as Jihoon; with his small dimples and cute little eyesmiles and cotton candy hair, like a little fairy bringing happiness to his otherwise mundane life. Seungcheol wants to keep Jihoon in his pocket and protect him from all the evil in the world; and tuck him into bed at night with kisses and greet him good morning the same way for the rest of his life.

Seungcheol loves Jihoon’s persistence, especially when he first learned how to surf without even knowing how to swim. And Seungcheol especially loves the way Jihoon’s eyes light up whenever he talks about music; sharing the hidden songs he hears in his mind with the world. Not to mention the unique way Jihoon shows his affection – rarely through direct skinship, but rather, by sharing bits of his food, or by quietly worrying himself mad for the wellbeing of others, giving meaning to the little things that Seungcheol himself tends to overlook.

He could go on all day and think about the reasons he loves Lee Jihoon – they could drive to Vegas and back, but he wouldn’t even be halfway through his list.

One thing is for sure: Seungcheol loves Jihoon the most, and that is a fact that nobody can refute.

Seungcheol chances a quick glance at the sleeping Jihoon, smiling to himself at how innocent and vulnerable Jihoon looks. He reminds himself to kiss Jihoon later, not now, when he’s not driving at fifty miles per hour surrounded by other speeding cars on a four-lane freeway.

Midway through the journey after staring at nothing but an endless stretch of asphalt, Seungcheol navigates off the freeway; making a pit stop in a small town located nearby. As Seungcheol stops at a red light, Jihoon wakes up, his body noticing the change from the constant speed.

“Are we there yet?” Jihoon glances out the window in confusion – all around them is nothing but sandy desert, with scarce foliage.

“Pit stop, Jihoonie. My butt is numb.” Seungcheol says. Jihoon doesn’t mention that his own backside is still hurting from last night, so he just scoffs.

Seungcheol takes a turn at an intersection, onto a road that seems to have more parking lots than buildings. “Lunch?”

Jihoon nods – he’d never say no to food, of course. Besides, he’s hungry after sitting in a car for hours on end; he could eat a whole cow by himself.

They enter a burger joint, and Jihoon lets Seungcheol order for him – the only person he’d trust with his food – as he goes to pick a table by the window. He takes the chance to check his phone; and there’s a bunch of text messages from Soonyoung, which are about a million variations of ‘are you here yet?’ Jihoon keeps his response short and sweet with a simple _no,_ then casts his phone aside.

Seungcheol returns soon enough with food for both of them: burgers and fries and of course, cola for Jihoon. Jihoon’s ravenous, so he practically swallows his burger in three bites, much to Seungcheol’s amazement. He doesn’t even mind it when Seungcheol steals a couple of fries from him, in fact, he pushes the whole box towards Seungcheol, letting him finish it.  

It’s a quick stop; and they’re back on the road again, the arid desert surrounding them. Seungcheol starts a conversation about burgers, but their small talk eventually dies down, the both of them easing into comfortable silence. Jihoon sings softly along to the stereo, which keeps Seungcheol awake as he drives, but eventually Jihoon falls asleep as they get nearer to their destination.

 

“We’re here.” Seungcheol says finally, after hours of driving.

Jihoon peels his eyes open, expecting to see the glitzy Las Vegas Strip in front of him - the extravagantly decorated casinos and hotels that pops into his mind when thinking about glamorous Las Vegas, but all he sees is the freeway stretching to infinity in front of him, the same view he’s seen all day.

“Are you sure we’re not still in LA?” Jihoon mutters, stretching in his seat.

Seungcheol lets out a laugh, smiling. He must be tired, driving for hours on end - Jihoon feels like his own backside is numb, glued to the passenger seat of Seungcheol’s Jeep. “We’re definitely here, Jihoonie.”

The GPS tells them to take the next exit and leave the freeway, which Seungcheol does. They immediately come to a halt at a stop light, and Jihoon sighs - how long have they been on the road? He feels drained, even though he’s barely done anything all day.

Along the streets are strip malls, which house convenience stores and novelty shops, each advertising their wares in loud, gaudy Vegas style. From the main road, they take a turn into a side street, entering a quiet neighbourhood of low-rise apartments and a few empty lots with weeds and rocks scattered all over the ground. If not for the tall, pointy tower standing proudly nearby, serving as the highest building in the non-existent city skyline, and random stretch limousines parked by the roadside, Jihoon would’ve thought that they’re still in suburban LA.

The highlighted trail on the GPS shows that they’re almost at their destination. Jihoon exhales deeply, glad that their long journey is almost over, but the prospect of seeing his best friend again makes him extremely nervous.

Seungcheol circles the parking lot, looking for an empty spot, and Jihoon spots Wonwoo’s car parked between two flashy supercars, looking ordinary in comparison. Seungcheol easily finds an empty space and pulls in, letting out a great big sigh of relief when he shuts the engine. “We made it.”

Jihoon smiles, leaning over to kiss Seungcheol. “Thanks for doing this.” On impulse, Seungcheol pulls Jihoon closer, enjoying the sensation of Jihoon’s lips against his own – he deserves it after a tiring day of driving.

“Ready to meet Soonyoung’s kidnappers?” Seungcheol asks as he pulls away, still cupping Jihoon’s cheek.

“No. Let’s go home.” Jihoon quips, the smile never leaving his face. He reaches to open the passenger door, stepping foot onto Vegas soil for the very first time. The afternoon sun is relentless, shining brightly in the sky; and there are palm trees lining the main road, reminiscent of California. Jihoon stretches languidly, letting out a yawn. The dry desert air makes Jihoon’s skin feel prickly, and he quickly walks over to meet Seungcheol, who’s still stretching.

With a nod, they head towards the doors of the pancake restaurant together for whatever awaits them…

“HOONIE!” Jihoon gets assaulted with a hug from Soonyoung the second he enters the restaurant. “I’m glad you you guys made it!” He pulls Seungcheol into the embrace, the two of them sandwiching the (relatively) small Jihoon between them.

“Nice threads, Hoonie.” Soonyoung says, observing Jihoon’s oversized clothing, once he lets them go.

“Thanks, they’re mine.” Seungcheol cuts in smoothly with a smile, wrapping an arm around Jihoon’s shoulders almost possessively.

Soonyoung gapes at them like a goldfish, but he smiles radiantly, glowing a million times brighter than the hot desert sun outside. He’d expected this all along, anyway, and he’s happy for his best friend and his new boyfriend -

“I’m glad you guys made it.” Soonyoung leads the couple to a booth at the back of the room, where Wonwoo and Minghao are waiting, amidst several empty plates and coffee cups which hints that they’ve been there for a while. Jihoon and Seungcheol sit across Soonyoung and Wonwoo in the plush booth seat, while Minghao grabs a chair and sits at the head of the table, the fifth wheel among them - not that he minds much, after spending a whole day with Soonyoung and Wonwoo.

Wonwoo greets the pair with a smile as Soonyoung calls the staff over to clear their table.

“When did you guys get here?” Seungcheol asks conversationally. Driving long-distance is taking a toll on his body; his muscles starting to feel sore. He does a little stretch, but he can still feel the tension - it’s going to persist for a while more.

“Early this morning. Minghao drove us through the night, he’s a champ.” Wonwoo replies, smiling gratefully at Minghao as the restaurant staff bus their table.

“Vegas, out of the blue?” Jihoon asks, glancing at Soonyoung, who would be a hundred percent responsible for random decisions like this.

“Won-won and I decided we both wanted to be here; and we invited Minghao along.” Soonyoung says, as Minghao adjusts his sunglasses, leaning against the table. From his body language, he seems tired; but he’s trying not to show it.

“Order something, it’s on me.” Soonyoung says, as a waitress hands them menus, which has nothing but breakfast items: pancakes, muffins, eggs - name any breakfast food; they’ve got it listed.

“It’s weird to eat pancakes in the afternoon.” Jihoon whispers towards Seungcheol, who’s trying to decide between an omelette or Eggs Benedict.

“That’s the whole concept, breakfast meals.” Seungcheol replies. “Do you want anything?”

“Just pick something for me.” Jihoon gives up looking at the menu and leans back in his seat, letting Seungcheol choose his meal for the second time that day. He glances around at the interior decor of the restaurant, which looks homely and welcoming with its warm tones and generic art prints of flowers hanging on the walls.

Across him, Wonwoo keeps whispering into Soonyoung’s ear, giggling over their own inside jokes; making Jihoon a tiny bit jealous that his best friend is getting a little chummy with someone else. But that someone else is Wonwoo, who accepts Soonyoung’s incredibly lame brand of humour, so Jihoon’s okay with that - the less puns he’d be exposed to, the happier he’ll be.

Meanwhile, Soonyoung looks extremely restless, bouncing in his seat like he’s quadrupled his sugar intake overnight. He keeps glancing at the waiter taking orders from Seungcheol, as if wishing for him to go away quicker; the grin on his face getting wider by the second, that his cheeks puff out into its full mochiness. Wonwoo can’t help himself but gently poke them, and the couple dissolve into playful giggles.

(Jihoon stops himself from asking if Soonyoung’s peed himself in excitement, which has happened on several unspeakable occasions when they were both kids.)

Once the waiter leaves, Soonyoung holds onto Wonwoo’s arm tightly, smiling brightly at Jihoon and Seungcheol. “We have happy news to tell you!” He’s practically bursting with exhilaration, bouncing restlessly in his seat. “Are you ready?”

Jihoon’s expression is indifferent, though he’s suddenly nervous - with Soonyoung, anything can happen.

“We’re getting married.” Wonwoo pronounces, his deep baritone putting a sense of seriousness to the matter. Hearing the news, Seungcheol claps his hands, congratulating the couple enthusiastically.

Only then Jihoon spots the shiny ring winking in the light, a perfect fit on Soonyoung’s finger; and his brain short-circuits. When did all of this happen? Sure, he knows that Soonyoung and Wonwoo were getting together, judging from the fond looks and petty bickering between them, much like an old couple. He’d never imagined this moment: his oldest friend - one he’d known since birth, literally - getting married to the love of his life. And to be honest, Jihoon never thought of Soonyoung as a person who would settle down at all, but would probably globe-trot until his hair turns grey. “This is really unexpected.”

“Right?” Soonyoung coos, nuzzling Wonwoo’s neck. Seungcheol pours an emergency cup of water for Jihoon, who visibly blanches - it’s too much information for him to take in at once. Jihoon takes a messy gulp of the cooling water; feeling lightheaded, and he reaches out to grab Seungcheol’s hand.

“Deep breaths, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol says in a soothing tone, gently massaging Jihoon’s shoulder.

“The ceremony is in an hour.” Minghao says nonchalantly, sipping his coffee; as Jihoon chokes on his water. 

We’ve got to get ready, then.” Wonwoo nods, turning to give Soonyoung a little peck on the nose.

Soonyoung and Wonwoo getting engaged overnight; he can (barely) deal with that. But Soonyoung and Wonwoo getting married… in an hour?

“Take me to the ER.” Jihoon whispers, almost hyperventilating. His body is out of control; reacting violently to news of wedding bells, which is a happy occasion!

“I’m here. It’s fine. Look at me, Jihoonie.” Seungcheol says, turning Jihoon’s head so their eyes meet. Looking at those dark chocolate eyes, swirling with nothing but love and concern; pulls Jihoon in further - he loves Seungcheol. Too much.

Jihoon loves Seungcheol; while Soonyoung loves Wonwoo.

So it would make sense for Soonyoung and Wonwoo to get married.

In an hour.

Jihoon looks at the couple sitting across him, who are practically glued to each other, holding hands. Yet they both have a worried look for Jihoon’s sake, which isn’t right, after they’d just announced their wedding.

They’d only just gotten together yesterday, and today is their wedding day.

Just thinking about the word ‘wedding’ makes Jihoon woozy; and he needs food before everything would make sense.

_Weddingweddingweddingweddingwedding._

Another glance at Soonyoung and Wonwoo’s matching rings makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, maybe a bit jealous, too. Jihoon can’t imagine Soonyoung being in a romantic relationship with anyone else apart from Wonwoo, but Jihoon still feels like it was just yesterday when they were just kids, hanging out after school eating snacks.

“Is this even legal?” Jihoon asks, as his food arrives - a steaming plate of chicken and waffles, and he digs in immediately, without waiting for an answer.

Soonyoung smiles. “We got the marriage licence and everything! Minghao’s been organising the whole thing, he’s been really helpful.”

“So you’re really getting married.” Jihoon’s eyes are glassy, and it’s all because of the food; not because he’s in denial that it’s Soonyoung’s wedding day.

“Yes, Hoonie. You’re my best man, of course.” Soonyoung nods enthusiastically, turning to look at Minghao, who’s jotting something down in a spiral notebook. “Haohao, I want Hoonie to be flower boy and organ player too.”

“Wanna be my best man, Seungcheol?” Wonwoo asks the surfer. 

“That would be nice.” Seungcheol nods. “Thanks for thinking of me.”

“No problem.”

Jihoon tunes out of the wedding talk to focus on his food, eating like there’s no tomorrow. He hears words like vows and reception and rings, but he doesn’t fully pay attention to anything else but the crunchy, greasy goodness of fried chicken that has nothing to do with weddings. Minghao straightens out everyone’s roles, and the flow of the ceremony, which is already planned out down to the minute.

Half an hour passes by all too quickly; and Jihoon spends most of it eating the best chicken and waffles, ignoring everything else. Soonyoung pays for the meal, and the five of them leave the pancake restaurant, with Minghao leading the way.

“I don’t know what he’s thinking.” Jihoon grits under his teeth. Seungcheol slings an arm around his shoulders, and Jihoon freezes for second before he relaxes under Seungcheol’s warm touch.

“It’s pretty sweet. Soonyoung and Wonwoo getting married.” Seungcheol glances at the giggling couple walking ahead of them, swinging their hands.

“Well, yeah, but it came out of nowhere! His parents are gonna disown us. This is what happens when I let him be independent.” Jihoon’s thoughts drift over to Soonyoung’s parents, who are too busy making money across the world, and probably has no idea that their son is getting married in Vegas to a guy he’d just met a month ago.

“Jihoonie, he’s been travelling the world independently for a while now. I think he can make his own decisions.”

Jihoon sighs. “I don’t know; I think it’s going too fast. They just met!”

Seungcheol bites his lip; Jihoon’s being difficult. “How long do you think people should date before they get married?”

Jihoon hesitates in his response. “...ten years?”

Seungcheol laughs, his eyes crinkling up. “That’s a really long time.” He reaches out to hold Jihoon’s hand, caressing each finger gently, paying a bit more attention to the ring finger. “Aren’t you happy for them?”

“I am, but…”

“To be honest, I think Soonyoung’s gotten less wild, especially when he’s with Wonwoo. Like Wonwoo has some kind of calming effect on him; and they seem to enjoy each other’s company.” Seungcheol says. “Did you notice that Soonyoung doesn’t film anything when they’re together?”

Jihoon keeps quiet, listening to Seungcheol’s words. Jeon Wonwoo, possibly the only man who could tame Kwon Soonyoung.

“They’re perfect for each other. And I think we should both be happy for that.” Seungcheol smiles, his face hovering just a few inches away from Jihoon’s. “Soonyoung’s always been supportive for us; so I think we should support him and Wonwoo, too.”

“Hoonie, let’s go!” Soonyoung waves Jihoon over with both his arms, doing an unnecessary body roll that makes Wonwoo laugh out loud.

“I’ll see you later, okay?” Seungcheol gives Jihoon a light peck, then strides over to join Wonwoo to fulfill his best man duties (whatever it is, this close to the ceremony). The two men walk away,

“We have half an hour before the ceremony.” Minghao checks his watch, changing into efficient mode in his capacity as self-appointed wedding planner.

“Where is it gonna be?” Jihoon asks.

“There.” Soonyoung points towards a chapel conveniently located right across the road. “But I haven’t got my suit with me, and there’s a stain on this shirt…”

“There’s no time to go shopping, Soonyoung.” Minghao says, checking his watch. “But you can’t get married in that dirty shirt, either.”

Soonyoung dramatically drops to his knees in the middle of the parking lot, letting out a pitiful wail. “My wedding day, ruined!”

Just then, Jerry - Jun - appears from nowhere, swinging a paper bag. His handsome face lights up, smiling widely like he’s preparing for a toothpaste ad, when he notices Minghao. “Hello, gentlemen. And fancy meeting you here, Minghao. It’s been a while.” Jun preens shamelessly, pushing his hair back; and Jihoon gets embarrassed on his behalf.

Minghao gives Jun an odd look - they’d flirted talked at Soonyoung’s party just last night; but he can’t be bothered with that right now, he’s in the middle of a wardrobe crisis!

Jun is still laying it on thick, trying to impress Minghao. “I’m just here for Soonyoung’s wedding.” He tries to laugh casually, but it turns out shaky - even confident Jun is nervous around the person he likes. “I was surprised when I got the invitation this morning - he called me, you know, like, hey, I’m getting married in Vegas today; and luckily enough my schedule is clear, so I came by, because it’s Soonyoung.”

Jun finally notices that Soonyoung is still kneeling on the ground, and helps the vlogger back to his feet. “Oh, here he is, I was just talking about you. What are you doing on the ground? Congrats on the wedding, by the way. Wonwoo is the luckiest.” He pats Soonyoung’s back in a friendly manner, and Soonyoung softens at the mention of Wonwoo’s name. In a split second, though, Soonyoung remembers the wardrobe emergency he’s in, and his eyes start glistening with tears, ready to spill the waterworks. Next to him, Jihoon is slowly inching away - he never knows what to do on the rare occasion Soonyoung cries, and this is already the second time this week.

“Hey, don’t cry, it’s your wedding day!” Jun pulls Soonyoung into a half-hug. “Look, I got you a gift. Might just cheer you up.” He hands Soonyoung the paper bag that he’s been holding, and the vlogger accepts it without any qualms.

“Can I open it?’

Jun laughs. “Of course! Gifts are meant to be opened. Got it on the way here, I hope you like it.”

Soonyoung pulls out a black T-shirt out of the bag, and his jaw drops when he sees the design on the front of the shirt.

“It’s not just a T-shirt, it’s a fake tuxedo T-shirt!” Jun says proudly, showing off the print of a faux dress shirt and bow tie on the T-shirt to Jihoon and Minghao. “And I got one for Wonwoo too, so you guys can match!”

Soonyoung throws his arms around Jun gratefully. “You’re a saviour!”

Jun grins, getting shy at the sudden compliment; and returns Soonyoung’s embrace. “Anything for the internet’s favourite vlogger.”

“Haohao, I can wear this, right?” Soonyoung turns to Minghao, holding the garment against his chest.

Minghao shrugs. “Your wedding, your choice.” 

Soonyoung pulls everyone around him into yet another hug (which annoys the hell out of Jihoon, but thrills Jun to no end, because he gets the chance to press his cheek against minghao’s hair); thanking them all endlessly for their existence on the most special day of his life. Jihoon’s the first one to wriggle out of the suffocating group hug, and everyone breaks away soon enough - four guys hugging in a parking lot outside a pancake restaurant in Vegas insinuates the beginning of a bad comedy movie.  

“There’s nothing much for me to do before the wedding, right?” Jihoon asks Minghao, who’s consulting his notes once more; as Soonyoung and Jun fuss over the faux tuxedo shirt.

“We skipped the stag party, though when you think of it, last night’s party could’ve been it.” Minghao says thoughtfully, looking at Jihoon’s face, as if thinking that Jihoon could’ve known about the wedding.

“Well, I didn’t even know that Soonyoung and Wonwoo were getting married until Cheol and I got here.” Jihoon says. “I even thought he got kidnapped because of the text he sent to Cheol.”

“Wonwoo did tell Soonyoung that it could cause confusion.” Minghao comments.

Jihoon’s still curious about one thing. “How did you end up driving them here, anyway?”

Minghao lets out a sigh, before he begins reminiscing the memory. “The party was dying late last night, and I was about to leave, when they came up to me and sy begged me to drive them to vegas. I thought they were drunk or something so initially I refused, but Wonwoo insisted too; and let me tell you, they make a really convincing couple, even with their unreasonable reasons.”

Typical Soonyoung, to spew out nonsense to get whatever he wants; and now he’s infected sensible Wonwoo with his uselessness. Jihoon shakes his head, embarrassed for Soonyoung’s sake.

“I didn’t see myself getting out of it, so I agreed.” Minghao tries to muffle a yawn; tired after driving overnight, and keeping Soonyoung and Wonwoo company the whole day, getting the legal paperwork done.

“Sorry you had to go through all the trouble.” Jihoon apologises, thinking that it could’ve been him and Seungcheol driving them to Vegas they’d stayed at the party.

“It’s okay. Soonyoung’s one of my good friends.” Minghao smiles. No one can ever say no to Kwon Soonyoung, everyone’s favourite human (with the exception of his own best friend since forever, Lee Jihoon). “And Wonwoo’s a nice guy; he kept me company throughout the drive while Soonyoung slept in his lap. That’s when he told me that they were gonna get married.”

“Wow.”

“He really took care of Soonyoung, you know. Made me a little jealous.” Minghao smiles. “That’s another reason I helped them… can’t see Soonyoung without Wonwoo anymore, even though I’ve barely known Wonwoo for 24 hours.”

“They’ve known each other for a month, and now they’re getting married…” Jihoon laments, glancing at Soonyoung, who’s engaged in an animated conversation with Jun.

“They’re clearly in love, so why delay it?”

Jihoon’s stunned by Minghao’s nonchalant statement. Soonyoung and Wonwoo’s whirlwind romance had been clear from the start: Soonyoung had been like a whole different person when he’d met ww for the first time; and Wonwoo’s explicit actions that showed how much he liked Soonyoung; falling for the vlogger gradually.

Like Those Romantic Movies, when soulmates fall in love with each other, they fall hard, and fast.

Jihoon gets weird tingles just thinking about it, and Seungcheol’s smiling face pops up in his mind at that very second. 

“We should get to the chapel now.” Minghao says, checking his watch; breaking into Jihoon’s thoughts. Jihoon nods dazedly, still thinking of last night; before he turns to call Soonyoung. He’s joking around with Jun; the both of them laughing out loud in the middle of the parking lot.

“Soonie, it’s time to get married.” Jihoon pokes his best friend’s rib, and he squeals.

“The way you say that, it sounds super scary. But Won-won isn’t scary at all so it’s okay!” Soonyoung exclaims, wrapping Jihoon into a half-hug. “Let’s go, best buddy. Best man.”

Of course, the trip to the chapel doesn’t take long - it only takes a quick jaywalk across the street, and they’re already at their destination. As they arrive, rght in front of the chapel, taking a commemorative selfie are Thomas and Vernon, posing like they’re the ones getting married. Soonyoung greets them with quick hugs as they offer their congratulations on the wedding. Soonyoung blushes – blushes! – as he chatters non-stop about Wonwoo; all of them entering the chapel into a cosy foyer decorated with white roses everywhere. The scent of flowers is heavy in the atmosphere, and it all becomes much realer for Jihoon that his best friend is actually getting married.

Jihoon engages in small talk with Jun, talking about the drive to Vegas; as they mill around in the foyer, though Jun keeps shooting furtive, longing glances at Minghao, who’s fussing over Soonyoung. Wonwoo and Seungcheol are nowhere to be seen, despite leaving for the chapel earlier; so they should be around here somewhere… Jihoon keeps an eye out for them - but they’re nowhere to be seen.

As long as Wonwoo’s waiting on the altar, everything should be smooth sailing. Jihoon doesn’t think that Wonwoo would be the noncommittal type – his gaze every time he looks at Soonyoung is filled with nothing but adoration and love, that Jihoon feels like he’d need insulin jabs from the sweetness of their interactions.

“Ten minutes.” Minghao announces, and the guests enter the chapel, leaving Soonyoung, Jihoon and Minghao in the foyer; preparing for Soonyoung’s grand entrance.

Soonyoung’s changed into the fake tuxedo t-shirt sponsored by Jun- he would’ve forgotten if Minghao didn’t remind him. He checks his reflection in the window, barely giving much thought of his appearance - he’s wearing cargo shorts and sneakers, for goodness’ sake - this is probably the most casual wedding of the week; everyone is in T-shirts and flip-flops – all dressed for South California - apart from Minghao, who’s still in his fabulous party getup from last night.

“Where’s your camera, Soonie?” Jihoon teases. Soonyoung’s fidgeting with the hem of his shirt, sweat trickling down the side of his face out of extreme nervousness; barely listening to Jihoon.

“My what?”

Jihoon tries to hide his shocked expression - Soonyoung’s most prized possession is his video camera, used to record his travels over the globe; but it’s getting disregarded on what is supposed to be the most important and happiest day of his life. “Y’know, like, brides carry a bouquet of flowers when they walk down the aisle. I figured that you’d bring along your camera and record the occasion.” Jihoon says with a little laugh.

“Oh.” Soonyoung stares at Jihoon’s forehead with a dazed expression, as if he’d just heard the word _camera_ for the first time. “I didn’t think of that. Also, I think I left my camera in Malibu.”

“Besides, the chapel won’t let us record; they’ll do it for us.” Minghao chips in, handing a tissue to Soonyoung, who immediately sticks it onto his forehead.

No one says anything for a while, as Soonyoung wipes his sweat with the damp tissue. Minghao’s maniacally consulting his notes, while Jihoon scrutinises the wreath of white roses decorating the closed double doors leading to the chapel; too many thoughts running in his mind, as usual.

He’s got something to say to his best friend before he gets married, just to be sure. “Soonie, can I have a word with you?”

“What’s up, bestie?”

Jihoon exhales deeply - there’d been a lot of sighs today - and tries to word his thoughts properly. “You’re getting married legally.”

“I am! It’s so exciting!” Soonyoung plasters a nervous smile on his sweaty face.

“Soonie, this is a lifelong commitment; you can’t simply back out.” Jihoon continues.

“I know that, and I’m ready for it. You don’t have to worry about me.” Soonyoung pats a strand of pink hair out of Jihoon’s eyes. “It’s like a new adventure, Hoonie. But this time, I’m going to have Won-won by my side.”

Jihoon nods, prompting for Soonyoung to continue – it seems like the vlogger has a lot to say, but he can’t find the words.

“I don’t know how to describe it properly...but he makes me feel happy. Like really happy. Like I’m floating on clouds. He makes me so happy that I wanna cry out of happiness and dance to [Super Junior’s _Happiness_ song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcsdA-oGrkQ) at the same time.” Soonyoung smiles, his eyes shining with tears.

Jihoon reaches out and drags his best friend into a hug. “That’s all I ask for.”

“Thanks, buddy.” Jihoon’s shoulder feels moist, and he’s not sure whether it’s Soonyoung’s sweat or tears – but he’s not going to ask.

“Are you ready? We’re all set.” Minghao appears, his notebook tucked under his armpit. “Jihoon, I need you to be at the piano.”

“But I’m his best man though?” Jihoon had thought that he’ll be the one to accompany Soonyoung the aisle as best man.

“That’s for later. You’ll play the piano first, then you’ll join Soonyoung on the altar.” Minghao consults his notebook. He quickly briefs Jihoon through the various roles he has for the ceremony - best man, pianist, witness - making Jihoon’s head spin. It seems like he’s going to be more important that the grooms themselves…

Jihoon takes a deep breath and smiles. For his best friend Soonyoung, he’ll do his best to deliver him the bestest day of his life.

“Good luck, Soonie.” Jihoon pats his best friend’s shoulder before he disappeas behind the polished double doors that leads to the chapel.

“Love you, Hoonie.”

The chapel is elaborately decorated; impressive for a last minute ceremony. White ribbons line the pews, and there’s a smattering of white petals on the red carpet leading up to the altar. Just walking down it gives Jihoon the chills, so he keeps his gaze down, hoping not to attract anyone’s attention.

There’s a low murmur among the guests; people that Jihoon recognise from his time in Los Angeles. Jun’s sitting in the first row, taking 45-degree head-angled selfies with Chan. There’s Vernon and Thomas, whispering with their heads close. Even Teddy is present, appropriately dressed for the event in a charcoal three-piece suit; holding up his tablet like he’s recording everything...until Jihoon realises that he’s connected to Joshua via video call. Dressed in scrubs, Joshua’s smiling at everything, even though he’s 308 miles away.

Up on the altar is Wonwoo, wearing a fake tuxedo T-shirt that matches Soonyoung’s; though his is a tighter fit, looking a bit short on the lanky man - had Jun intended for it to look that way? Right next to the groom is Seungcheol, looking like a Disney prince even with his stupid muscle tee and his bangs messily swept to the side; and Jihoon has thoughts of hijacking the ceremony so he could marry Seungcheol right there and then.

The whim makes Jihoon blush, and he hurries to settle at the white baby grand piano in the corner.

Jihoon sits at the piano comfortably, running his fingers over the smooth keys. A tingle of nervousness runs down his spine - he hasn’t played for an audience since high school. Seungcheol shoots him a reassuring grin, mouthing something that Jihoon can’t comprehend properly; but the gesture calms him down slightly - his fingers are still shaking.

Right then, a man in a glittery suit and gelled updo strides to the altar, pulling a couple of unnecessary dance moves; greeting everyone with an exaggerated accent.

“Are you ready to rock and roll?”

It’s Elvis.

An Elvis impersonator, to be precise. 

Trust Soonyoung to have Elvis at his spur of the moment Vegas wedding. And Jihoon wouldn’t have pegged that someone as sensible as Wonwoo to agree with it all…

That’s real love.

Elvis shakes hands with Wonwoo and Seungcheol, flashing them a big smile; before he turns to wave flamboyantly at the guests.

Minghao peeks his head into the room, striding over to Jihoon sitting at the piano. Jihoon’s surprised by Minghao’s sudden entry, expecting Soonyoung to have cold feet; but instead, he receives instructions.

“Soonyoung requests that you play, quote, the song that you practiced over and over on the piano when we were six because your piano teacher said your fingers were tiny and I would feel nauseous every time you played it, but this time I won’t puke because it’s my wedding, unquote; when he walks down the aisle.” Minghao whispers, aware that everyone is looking at them.  

Jihoon knows exactly what Minghao is talking about, and he’s amazed that Minghao could quote Soonyoung’s nonsense word for word.

[Pachelbel’s Canon in D.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNsgHMklBW0)

A simple piece, but one that’s played at millions of weddings worldwide. And quite romantic for an eccentric wedding officiated by an Elvis lookalike – a rendition of _Can’t Help Falling in Love_ might have been more suitable. But it’s Soonyoung’s wedding, so of course Jihoon has no right to refuse.

“I can do that.” Jihoon nods.

He hasn’t played the piece for years, but the melody is ingrained in his mind.

“I’ll cue you in.” Minghao grins, and starts off to leave the room, when there’s a sudden knock on the chapel doors.

It’s Soonyoung, popping his head into the chapel. “Can I come in?”

Elvis laughs heartily, as Minghao facepalms. “Can’t wait, child? Get up here so we can get you married to this handsome man.” Wonwoo smiles shyly, his gaze fixed on nobody else but Soonyoung.

Soonyoung beams and enters the chapel, shutting the door behind him. He glances over at Jihoon and Minghao, looking lost for a second.

“Now.” Minghao says, and Jihoon places his fingers on the keys, playing the familiar and impactful theme.

Soonyoung takes a deep breath, counting to ten to calm himself down. Then he pastes a smile onto his face, and places one sneaker-clad foot ahead, walking in time with the music towards his destiny awaiting at the altar.

The atmosphere is dreamlike, with the gorgeous white décor and heavenly musical accompaniment; as Soonyoung floats down the aisle. Everyone is looking at him, smiling at him; and he does a goofy little twirl to alleviate his nervousness. He almost trips when Wonwoo steps down from the altar, heading towards him, meeting him halfway.

“You ready for this?” Wonwoo asks quietly, offering his arm.

Soonyoung takes it, smiling. “I was born ready.”

Together, they walk towards the altar arm-in-arm as the music swells dramatically, though they reach the altar before the piece ends.

The guests clap politely as Jihoon finishes the song, and he hurries to stand beside Soonyoung.

“Thank you, Beethoven. Shall we start?” Elvis chuckles. He adjusts his bejewelled sunglasses – which looks ridiculous indoors – and clears his throat. “Today we gather to witness the joyful union of Jeon Wonwoo and Kwon Soonyoung. Love your vlog, by the way.”

“Elvis loves my vlog!” Soonyoung bounces on his feet, turning to grin at Jihoon.

“Focus, you’re getting married.” Jihoon hisses, as Seungcheol stifles a laugh.

“Right.” Soonyoung peeks at Wonwoo, who’s staring at him with a smile.

Wonwoo reaches for Soonyoung’s hand, interlocking their fingers together, as Elvis launches into a mini speech about love and trust and commitment.

Wonwoo himself had never expected to have a Vegas wedding, with Elvis as the officiant - he’d never really thought of marriage in general, until that one fated night he’d been driving back to Malibu from San Francisco, when it had struck him, like perfect serendipity. Up until now, Wonwoo had been planning his life so carefully, like he was playing a game of chess - one wrong move and it’ll all be ruined. He’d had it all lined up: take on a couple more big projects to make his name in the film industry, then head east to New York City as a renowned cinematographer, creating his own films, and live in Brooklyn with a couple of cats and maybe a side job teaching at New York Film School. Soonyoung never fit in that equation - he’s not the type to plan things out, going with intuition instead, breezing through life carelessly, writing his own adventures. And Wonwoo wants to be part of that, seeing Soonyoung’s smile every day as he finds joy from even the smallest things in life.

He turns to looks at his groom, who’s sweating profusely under the soft warm lights of the chapel, the lighting angled just right to highlight the cuteness of his mochi cheeks; and he looks so pretty even when he’s sweating. A fond smile crosses Wonwoo’s face, thanking all of his lucky stars that he’d been given the chance to marry Kwon Soonyoung, the most annoyingly adorable person to grace this earth.

“Would the betrothed say a few words to each other?” Elvis prompts, and Wonwoo turns to face Soonyoung, who smiles nervously at him.

“I’ll go first.” Wonwoo says, then clears his throat. He takes Soonyoung’s hands into his, and stares deeply into his eyes. He’s never been more certain in his life - as cheesy as it sounds like, he loves Soonyoung with all of his heart, and he’s not afraid to show it.

“I’ve never met anyone like you, Soonyoung; and you make life more bearable, even if people say that you’re unbearable.”

There are tears glistening in Soonyoung’s eyes; and his lips curl into a tiny smile. 

“Every day with you is another new adventure, and I look forward to that. And I promise that I will make you so happy; your cheeks are going to hurt from smiling too much.”

“I- I don’t know what to s-say.” Soonyoung sniffs. His mind is a muddle - he’s got all the pretty words to say that he loves Wonwoo so much, but he can’t say it now.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything.” Wonwoo touches Soonyoung’s shoulder affectionately, pulling him into a hug.

Just then, Soonyoung’s voice booms over the speakers; even though Soonyoung himself his bawling into his fiance’s shoulder on the altar.

_“Hoonie, don’t you think Won-won is adorable?”_

Soonyoung lifts his head and he sees Jihoon taking over the chapel’s sound system in the corner. He’s got his phone plugged to the speakers, playing some kind of recording…

_“His voice is deeper than the Marianas Trench and I kind of want to have a low note battle with him to see how low he can go even though I know I’ll lose. And he laughs at all my lame jokes, unlike you…”_

Soonyoung remembers this exact moment - he’d been knitting, thinking of Wonwoo; and spilled his heart out to Jihoon, who’d filmed the whole thing. He hangs his head, remembering the cheesy words he’d said in the heat of the moment, but he’d never deny them, because they’re all true - and now Wonwoo is listening, concentrating on every word.

_“He looks really, really good in a suit - he looks like he’s MODELLING it, oh, and he looks even handsomer without glasses but I like him with glasses too, he looks cute. Did I say he looks like an actor without glasses? Like one of those actors in Korean dramas or something; he has this kind of handsomeness even when he breathes or even stands there, and I love the way his voice sounds when he speaks, it makes my toes tingle and I wouldn’t mind listening to it at every waking moment.”_

_“And last night we skipped the movie halfway because I was hungry and it made me feel bad for not watching, because Won-won worked hard on it, but he says he has the original copy or something and I kinda wanna watch it soon, maybe we could invite Cheol-hyung too and make it into a double date or something…”_

Seungcheol coughs from behind Wonwoo.

_“And we went and had burgers and fries and milkshakes and purple slushies, and and and when he laughs he does this reaaaaaaally cute nose scrunch thing.”_

There are sneezing sounds in the recording, and everyone laughs. Wonwoo even does a little nose scrunch, and Soonyoung lets out a little giggle even though his tears are endless.

_“And did I tell you that he sings so well too, I just want to listen to him sing like, FOREVER. He likes Lee Dokyeom too, and I was thinking that maybe we could go to a concert together!”_

Wonwoo nods. “Maybe we should.”

_“Are you recording this?”_ Soonyoung’s voice sounds shaky, nervous - just as he is right now. He remembers the moment as it is; talking to Jihoon about how much he likes Wonwoo… _“Do you think I talk too much about Won-won?”_

Feedback rings over the speakers as Jihoon disconnects his phone from the sound system, and he walks back to join his best friend on the altar. “You’re allowed to, Soonie, because you guys are getting married now.”

“Is that what you think of me?” Wonwoo smiles.

“I love you as you are, Won-won.”

Wonwoo reaches out to caress Soonyoung’s cheek. “Me too.”

“And I promise that we’ll have lots of adventures together and have lots of fun too…” Soonyoung chokes, trying his best to smile.

Elvis beams, picking up the momentum; there’s so much love in the air, and this is the perfect moment –

“May God bless you as he has blessed me… by the power of love, I now pronounce you husbands.”

Wonwoo wipes Soonyoung’s tears away, before he leans in and gives him a sweet kiss, the first one of many more to come in their married life.

Seungcheol wipes a tear away from the corner of his eye, stealing a glance at Jihoon, who’s partially hidden behind the happy newlyweds. The whole ceremony left him sentimental; his thoughts never leaving a certain strawberry-haired man standing opposite him.  

Maybe one day…

Soonyoung’s happy squeals break Seungcheol’s thoughts, as the newlywed vlogger launches himself into Wonwoo’s arms. Seungcheol steps out of the way in time as the couple down to the floor in a messy heap, a tangle of limbs and giggles. He goes over to stand next to Jihoon, who’s watching the newlyweds with an amused expression.

“That’s it. They’re married.” Jihoon says, a tiny smile playing on his lips. 

“And..?”

“I’m actually quite relieved. I don’t have to babysit Soonie anymore.”

Seungcheol pulls Jihoon into a hug, and kisses his head, just because he feels like it. Next to them, Elvis quirks up an eyebrow at them knowingly, and Jihoon’s face turns as pink as his hair. Right at that moment, Soonyoung gets to his feet and hugs Jihoon and Seungcheol tightly, thanking them for their constant support; and Jihoon pats Soonyoung’s head lightly, happy for his best friend.

It’s a whirlwind of events after that – the flurry of congratulations from the guests, and the impromptu photoshoot with Elvis and the whole wedding party that follows right after. Jihoon sticks closely to Seungcheol in the frenzy, content to watch from the sidelines as his best friend orchestrates the organised mess, letting everyone have a chance to take photos to commemorate the joyous occasion. More than a few times, Jihoon finds himself in Seungcheol’s arms as they pose for a few group pictures.  

Soonyoung is practically radiating happiness; and everyone is all smiles, especially Wonwoo. As the guests scramble to take photos with Elvis, Soonyoung stands aside to take breather.

“We’re married, Won-won.”

“Yes. Yes, we are.” Wonwoo smiles fondly at his husband, who drags him into a hug.

“I’m hungry.” Soonyoung whispers.

“Let’s invite everyone for dinner.”

Soonyoung nods at Wonwoo’s idea. “You’re the best.”

Wonwoo kisses Soonyoung’s nose, and he giggles.

“Congrats, you guys.” Jihoon and Seungcheol approach the newlyweds, holding hands. 

“Did you guys take a pic with Elvis?” Soonyoung asks.

“Nope, but we took some together.” Seungcheol says, grinning at his phone, looking at the selfies he’d taken with Jihoon just now, as everyone else was crowding around Elvis.

Teddy approaches them, giving them an unnecessary little bow. “Congratulations on your marriage. May you always be happy.”

Soonyoung gives Teddy a bear hug. “Thank you for coming!” The old butler’s not expecting the sudden embrace, so he’s taken by surprise, patting Soonyoung’s back good-naturedly before he steps away.

“Young Master Joshua would also like to his congratulations. He apologises for his absence; he has surgery today.” Teddy adds.

“Oh. I didn’t know he’s sick.” Soonyoung remembers seeing Joshua dancing his socks off at last night’s party - who knew that the young heir was ill....

“As in, he’s the one performing the surgery.” Teddy clarifies. “Med school.”

“I see.” Wonwoo nods in understanding, as Soonyoung dramatically clutches his chest. “He was on video call earlier, wasn’t he?”

“He insisted.” Teddy says. “Saw the whole ceremony, before he had to go open up someone’s chest cavity.”  

Wonwoo prods Teddy for more medical anecdotes, and the butler is happy to do so, sharing Joshua’s stories  – an unlikely conversation in a Vegas wedding chapel.

“Let’s go celebrate!” Soonyoung announces, when he notices that everyone’s done taking photos. “Elvis, wanna come?”

Elvis guffaws. “I’d love to, but there are a few more weddings for me to officiate.”

Soonyoung pouts, his shoulders drooping. “That sucks.”

“Go suck on something else, boy.” Elvis grins, and Wonwoo actually blushes at the insinuation.

“Thanks for today, Elvis.” Soonyoung pats Elvis’s arm innocently, the innuendo completely going over his head. 

“Until we meet again, folks.” Elvis does an exaggerated bow, before he strides out of the room.

“Let’s go, we’ve got a reservation!” Soonyoung grabs Wonwoo’s hand, and leads everyone out of the chapel. It’s late afternoon outside, the sun dipping more to the west – soon it’ll be sunset, and that’s when people come out to play on the famous Las Vegas Strip.

The so-called reservation is at a swanky hotel restaurant somewhere further down the Strip that has a semi-formal dress code; and the maître d’ initially wouldn’t let them in, as seeing that most of them are wearing shorts or jeans.

“Mr Xu and I shall enjoy dinner, then.” Teddy quips, as he adjusts the lapel of his coat – only the both of them adhere to the dress code.

“What if we all go and buy suits right now?” Soonyoung suggests out of nowhere.

“Soonie, I’m not gonna buy a full suit just for dinner.” Jihoon interjects.

“That’s what rich people do!” Soonyoung argues indignantly.

Jihoon rolls his eyes. “You _are_ rich, idiot.”

“Right.” Soonyoung turns back to the maître d’, a pout on his face. “Please sir, let us in, we’ve got a reservation; I made it this morning and I just got married and I’m hungry.”

The maître d’ huffs. “Your name?”

“Kwon Soonyoung.”

The maître d’s expression changes drastically, from annoyed to apologetic in 0.5 seconds. “Mr Kwon…we’ve been expecting you. I deeply apologise for my harshness. Though most of our patrons do adhere to the dresscode, and I hope you’ll do so on your next visit.”

They’re brought to a private room at the back of the restaurant, equipped with a long table and fancy tableware of the most expensive kind, complete with several types of polished silverware arranged neatly at each seat – dinnertime fit for a king. Once they settle down, a waiter pops a bottle of champagne, pouring each of them a glass, including for minor Chan, who takes a sneaky sip of the bubbly drink. Soonyoung’s ordered a ten-course meal when he made the reservation earlier in the day; so the staff is already serving appetisers before the main course starts. Vernon and Thomas are sampling everything, enthusing about the flavours, while Jun bothers Chan, who looks out of place amidst the fancy tableware and expensive champagne.

“I didn’t know what everyone would like, so I ordered everything.” Soonyoung says, smiling radiantly, like splurging on a ten-course meal for ten people isn’t a big deal.

There’s a lot of chatter over dinner, and Jihoon listens politely as he enjoys his food. Good food, good company and a good occasion to celebrate sums up to an excellent time – one of those rare moments when Jihoon would appreciate being with people.

“Everyone, your attention, please.” Wonwoo gently taps his glass with his fork, making a tinkling sound. “A toast.”

Soonyoung calls a waiter over and requests for toast.

Jihoon rolls his eyes as the waiter leaves with Soonyoung’s order. “Not that kind of toast, Soonie.”

“I know. But Won-won mentioned toast, and now I have a craving for burnt bread.” Soonyoung counters, immediately turning to Wonwoo, who’s standing up, a glass of bubbly champagne in his hand.

“To my beloved, Soonyoung.” Wonwoo starts his speech, looking straight at his new husband.

Half the table whistles, while the other half goes awwwwwww, save for Jihoon, who’s simply amused by it all.

“The first time I met Soonyoung, he thought I was a pizza guy.” Wonwoo says, eliciting laughter from the audience, and Soonyoung’s ears turns red, remembering the moment. “Actually, I’d have to thank Jihoon for introducing us.”

Jihoon slides further into his seat, as everyone turns to look at him.

“Anyway, Jihoon told me that Soonyoung needed help to edit his vlog. At that time, I was just finishing up post-production work for a film, and I didn’t think much about it. I remember this unknown number calling me late at night, and I was driving from LA to Malibu at the time. That turned out to be Soonyoung, and he took fifteen minutes telling me about his travels before he even mentioned his vlog.”

“I was tired from work at that time, but listening to Soonyoung talk about trying to photograph kangaroos in Australia healed me a bit.”

“That was really hard, because they kept hopping around.” Soonyoung adds in, only to be hushed by Jun.

“So the next day I turned up at his place, and it all started from there, I guess.” Wonwoo laughs. “Stuck to him like glue, editing his endless vlogs. We spent quite a lot of time on those, because Soonyoung films everything. But from there I got to know him.

“Soonyoung’s not just an online personality; he’s more than that. He loves adventures the most, and he’s not afraid to try out new things. And the way that he views the world in such a unique way is really interesting, too - how he’s so carefree, and no worries weigh him down. He gets excited over the smallest things, too, like a kid. But I think that’s what makes Soonyoung, Soonyoung.”

“I’m not gonna lie, Soonyoung’s a handful to handle.”

“Hurricane Soonie.” Jihoon mutters, and next to him, Seungcheol stifles a laugh.

“But as long as Soonyoung gets enough food and cuddles, he’s happy. And that makes me happy. Seeing him smile, brighter than the sun itself - that’s worth living for.”

Thomas lets out a sigh, clutching his heart.

“Soonyoung cares a lot for the people he loves, especially his best friend, Jihoon. But honestly, sometimes he forgets to look out for himself, but I promise you, Kwon Soonyoung, as long as I’m around, I’ll take care of you.”

Wonwoo doesn’t get to continue his speech, because Soonyoung pulls him close, kissing him right on the lips in front of everyone.

“Get a room.” Jihoon mutters, as a passing waiter puts a plate of toast in front of him, which makes the wedding party laugh.

“Great timing, sir!” Jun calls out to the waiter, who returns a knowing grin.

“Can I make a toast, too?” Soonyoung stands up, taking a piece of toast. “For Hoonie.”

“Toast your husband, you twat. It’s not my wedding.” Jihoon mutters.

“It could be yours next.” Soonyoung shoots back, which shuts Jihoon up. “Anyway, to my best friend since literally forever, Hoonie.” He holds up the toast, several crumbs falling onto his shirt. “Thank you for everything. Thank you for putting up with me all your life; and I want nothing but happiness for you, always. And I’m glad that you came here to join me in my adventures, because let’s be real - you’ve been super happy here and I’m super glad for that.”

“I’m happy you found music back. I’m happy you found Cheol-hyung. I’m sure that this is the happiest you’ve ever been in all of your twentysomething years of living and don’t you dare say otherwise.”

“You’re right.” Jihoon nods, taking a swig of his drink, as Seungcheol rests a hand on his thigh.

“We’ve been buddies our whole life, and no one knows me better than you. Which means that you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

Jihoon fake laughs, which makes everyone else chuckle at his half-hearted response.

“You’ll always be my best friend; I’m not replacing you with Won-won. But you have your own life with Cheol-hyung; and I’ll have my own life with Won-won...maybe we can all go on a double date sometime together sometime!” Soonyoung takes a bite of the piece of toast he’s holding. “This is good toast.” Thomas takes a piece, and nods in affirmation as he eats it, passing the plate around so everyone can share.

Soonyoung takes Wonwoo’s glass, holding it up for a proper toast towards his own husband. “And of course, for my Won-won...I love you since the day we met, and even though you make me nervous, I still feel comfortable around you.”

“Sweaty hands.” Wonwoo remarks cheekily.

“Sorry!” Soonyoung quickly wipes his hands on his shorts. “I’ll do my best so that you’ll never regret this.”

“I won’t ever regret it, Soon. Loving you is worth everything to me.”

“Waiter, could we have a cheese platter, please?” Jun calls out jokingly to no one in particular, as Jihoon hides his face in his napkin; everyone else whooping at Wonwoo’s cheesiness.

Smooth, Jeon Wonwoo.

Soonyoung’s flabbergasted - Wonwoo’s expressing all that he feels right now, so confidently. All he can do is kiss Wonwoo once more, which prompts everyone at the table to cheer raucously for them at their excessive public display of affection.

The rest of dinnertime goes by smoothly, with small talk and about ten different courses that become increasingly delicious, concluded by a huge white ice-cream cake that Soonyoung’s ordered for everyone. At the end of the meal, Jihoon’s so stuffed - even more than a turkey at Thanksgiving - that he can barely walk. He’d had a few glasses of champagne too, leaving a light sensation in his head.

Teddy leaves after dinner, saying that he has a flight to catch; and Soonyoung waves him off tearfully with a basket of dinner rolls for Joshua to enjoy. Everyone else wander onto The Strip - quintessentially Las Vegas, all lit up, brighter than a Christmas tree, with novel attractions never seen anywhere else. The city is alive, even if the night is still young; with revellers all dressed up in high fashion bling, ready to paint to town red. 

Seungcheol sits with Jihoon outside the famous Bellagio fountains, since they’re both too full to walk around. There’s already a crowd of tourists watching the fountain show; a dynamic water choreography, against the backdrop of the renowned Bellagio hotel.

The perfectly choreographed fountains shoot jets water into the sky like fireworks, in time with fancy lights and music, putting on a spectacular show for anyone who watches. Jihoon’s entranced by it all, intrigued by the pulses of water that make a well-designed pattern - some spiralling into the air like a helix; others planned meticulously to achieve different heights, before falling down to the ground like rain. There’s always a tasteful surprise to see, and they stay there for a while, watching a few cycles of the show, enjoying each other’s company. Finally, the show ends on a grand note, and the lights dim. The water flow returns to normal, cascading along into the pool.

“Oh, the show’s over.” Seungcheol pouts. He’d been enjoying it, and seeing the amazed look on Jihoon’s face makes him content. The crowd starts to disperse, wandering off elsewhere for something interesting to see, but Seungcheol and Jihoon stay put, watching the fountain wind down, little streams of water gently flowing into the fountain, creating ripples.

“That reminds me of the sea.” Seungcheol says, watching the water lap against the sides of the fountains. The calming sound of the water eases him, bringing his soul back to the ocean.

“Do you miss surfing?” Jihoon asks, leaning his head against Seungcheol’s.

“When we get back to Malibu, I need to get out on the waves.”

Jihoon remembers his failed attempts at Seungcheol’s favourite pastime, thinking that he could do better at it. “Do you think I should try surfing again?”

Seungcheol turns to look straight into Jihoon’s eyes. He doesn’t want a repeat of what happened the first time he let Jihoon surf the waves alone...“Only if you’re really sure about that.”

“You could teach me.”

“Alright then.” Seungcheol pulls Jihoon into his arms. “But this time, I’ll really take care of you.”

Jihoon nods, staring at the large body of water spread out in front of them. Behind it, the Bellagio stands majestically like a palace out of a fairytale, which makes Jihoon think of weddings and doves and happy endings…

“The whole wedding got me thinking about us.” Jihoon says quietly, keeping his gaze on the water.

“I hope it’s about good things.”

Jihoon smiles, leaning back against Seungcheol’s arms. “Of course.”

“If you wanna get married too, there are chapels everywhere in this town, according to Wonwoo.”

Jihoon slaps Seungcheol’s thigh playfully. “I’m not as desperate as Soonie!”

“Hey, it’s fine. We’ll take it slow.” Seungcheol kisses Jihoon’s cheek.

Something vibrates in Jihoon’s pocket, and he almost doesn’t realise it. It’s his phone, and he quickly checks it, just in case Soonyoung’s gambled his whole trust fund away at a casino somewhere; but there are a few missed calls from an unknown number.

He’s about to ignore it so he can snuggle with Seungcheol, but he notices the area code.

It’s a number from South Korea – home.

It could be a spam call, but Jihoon’s intuition says otherwise; this might be something important. He’d rather dismiss it and forget about the matter, but his phone vibrates with an incoming call at that moment, from the same number. He doesn’t know who it is, and there’s only one way to find out…

“Cheol, I’ve got to take this call.” Jihoon says, staring at his phone, trying to recognise the string of numbers.

“Go ahead.”

Jihoon takes a deep breath before he answers. “Hello?”

“Hello, this is Mingyu from Human Resources. Is Lee Jihoon speaking?”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooh another cliffhanger 
> 
> thank for reading :D
> 
> **FEEDBACK IS APPRECIATED <3 **

**Author's Note:**

> Pure self-indulgence, hence the intense slow burn! I wanted to see surfer!cheol in action and it led to...whatever this is.  
> Also, started writing this in June 2017 - the Malibu vibes from the Al1 album jacket inspired me but Teen,Age era is now here~  
> do leave a comment or kudos below hehehe (ง ´͈౪`͈)ว alternatively, you can yell at me on twitter: @sleepyscoops
> 
> \----------
> 
> Playlist is up! Here it is: [songs for a swimming fool - music for lee jihoon: swimming fool ](https://twitter.com/sleepyscoops/status/955618497245036544%20)


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